


The Alpha-Omega

by Lost_Elf



Category: Borderlands (Video Games)
Genre: ABO science by me, Aliens Made Them Do It, Alpha Handsome Jack (Borderlands), Alpha Ruts, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Dark, Bandit Handsome Jack (Borderlands), Bonding, Brat Rhys, Character Development, Complicated Relationships, Depression, Developing Relationship, Hurt/Comfort, Idiots in Love, Jack being Jack, Light Angst, Loss of Virginity, M/M, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Mildly Dubious Consent, Minor Violence, Mpreg, Nesting, Non-Consensual Spanking, Non-Traditional Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Omega Rhys, Overprotective Dad Rhys, Parenthood, Post Mpreg, Science Fiction, Sharing Body Heat, Single Parent Rhys (Borderlands), Smut, Tags May Change, This is a lot of words for the author’s small praise kink, Vault Hunter Handsome Jack (Borderlands)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-24
Updated: 2020-01-31
Packaged: 2021-02-27 13:40:44
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 41,470
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22378108
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lost_Elf/pseuds/Lost_Elf
Summary: After crushing on Pandora, Rhys finds himself in a feral Alpha territory. Right before being torn apart by the lunatics, an even more dangerous Alpha saves him, a banished former programmer who calls himself Jack. They make a deal, and together seek a way back to the civilisation.The story focuses on the difficult life situation of a young Omega who tried to choose his own fate, and an Alpha who got everything except for a bit of love. Two idiots in love against the universe.
Relationships: Handsome Jack/Rhys (Borderlands)
Comments: 29
Kudos: 169





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This was an old idea. Basically, I opened a document, found the opening scene and three random sentences, and got to writing. This story will have 4 chapters, each approximately 10K words. Tags contain spoilers, but also trigger warnings. There is E for a reason, and you know that I'm not nice to my characters, BUT this is Light Angst, not the crap I usually write, so it shouldn't be that bad. ^.^"
> 
> I made up my own ABO science for this story. It's not the traditional way. I hope that everything will be apparent from the story, but I might as well put some explanations in notes. Not that you need to understand those things to enjoy the story. It's just for the people who love this side of ABO, like me. :)
> 
> Enjoy! ^.^

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mildly important notes:
> 
> \- Rhys doesn't have tattoos yet  
> \- Rhys has both arms and both brown eyes  
> \- Jack doesn't have the scar  
> \- No Angel  
> \- This is a darker version of ABO, so Rhys is a property of his parents, and the rules are the same basically all across the universe  
> \- Alphas form 40% of the universe population, Betas 59% and Omegas 1%
> 
> Don't take the shit about virginity seriously.

On the scale of one to ten, Rhys was two hundred screwed. He was so screwed that his picture magically appeared in all dictionaries next to the word _screwed_. So fucking screwed.

He didn’t have the time to think about how much screwed he is, however, as he fought to catch his breath. He was never an athlete. He did yoga, not running. He wasn’t ever supposed to need to run a long distance. And right now, he’s been running for what felt like _miles_. From one danger straight into another.

This was a feral alpha territory. Aside from basic knowledge of Pandora, he could also _smell_ the fact. All of his instincts screamed _danger_. In the back of his head his private teacher’s voice screamed to never enter a strange alpha’s territory. He could already see himself as an example photo on some of the educational pamphlets. If he ever gets out in one piece.

He could almost see the end of the dark street, though, so maybe he won’t die today. If he manages to run out of this town and find signal, he can contact somebody and get picked up. Just a few more meters…

Rhys’ hopes were squished quickly when someone grabbed his collar and tugged him down to the ground without effort. He scrambled and managed to crawl away from that person, but that only got him into a corner, surrounded by walls and maniacs.

“Looks like meat is back on the menu, boys!” the person who caught him hollered with laughter. “Omega meat! Fresh from the oven!” He made a step towards Rhys, but another one, Alpha almost twice as big as Rhys, caught him, _snapped his neck without effort_ , and headed towards the Omega himself.

Everything was happening too fast suddenly. There were at least twenty Alphas, some big, their bodies dysmorphed, their scent making Rhys want to throw up. There was a lot of growling, people fighting. Fighting for the right to take Rhys first, he realised.

There was no escape for the Omega. The only way out of the dark street was blocked by angry, brawling Alphas. And even if there was a way, Rhys wasn’t sure he’d be able to run anymore. His muscles were on fire from the strain, his lungs he probably lost along the way, because there was what felt like a hole of concentrated pain in his chest. The only thing left for him was to hope that he will die of fear before some of the Alphas win and rape him, bond him, turn him into a breeding machine chained to a post outside of their houses.

A pathetic whimper left his mouth, but none of the Alphas stopped to soothe him like he was used to. Those weren’t the people who raised him like the family’s biggest treasure. Those weren’t Alphas taught from young age that Omegas are fragile creatures to be loved and cherished. Those were people that even Pandora didn’t want, banished to this abandoned town to kill one another and rot.

Rhys was curled into a ball, continuously whimpering, when he noticed the noise of fighting ended suddenly. He dared to peek out of his hiding and look around.

All the Alphas were standing still, tense but not daring to continue their fight. Some of them growled, and they received a growl in return. All the attention was on one person.

Rhys’ eyes met the stranger’s for a second before he looked away, slowly walking through the street, growling at anybody who dared to move. Whoever got too close to him bowed their head and took a few steps back. He wasn’t the biggest Alpha here, but even the big monstrosities backed away from him.

When he stopped in front of Rhys, he turned to them last one time. “This one is mine,” he growled. “Now, scram!” And on his command, everybody ran away.

Rhys’ small hiding was invaded by the Alpha’s scent. It was full of power, danger and authority. And it smelled _good_. If Rhys wasn’t worried for his own life, he would maybe try to get closer, get more of the scent that promised him safety, but now he just tried to pull away, pressing his back against the wall as much as possible.

When he was sure that they are alone, the Alpha crouched in front of Rhys, looking him up and down. He inhaled, undoubtedly smelling Rhys’ fear and distress, and scowled. He reached out, taking Rhys’ wrist in his hand and pulling.

Rhys was overrun by instincts, and before he knew it, he was biting that hand hard enough for the man to hiss and let go of him. The growl he received in return, along with the angry frown, made him whimper again. Something inside of him was confused, unsure if the better option is to submit to the safer Alpha, or to keep fighting.

The man inspected the wound on his hand, a few specks of blood, but mostly just pink dents. With a warning growl, he reached for Rhys again, and this time, the young man let him. The Alpha pulled his wrist to his face and pressed his nose to the skin there, taking in his scent, _studying_ it.

“Omega,” he concluded. “Not bonded.”

Shakily, Rhys nodded, pulling his hand to his chest as soon as it was released. What will happen now, he dreaded. Will the Alpha bond him? Will he be taken as a prize? There is no way he can escape, but he can’t allow this.

The Alpha gave him another onceover, and then looked him in the eyes. “Is there someone who would be willing to pay for your safe return to the civilization? How much?”

The question was so strange and confusing that Rhys stopped trembling for a while, looking at the Alpha, trying to figure out what’s happening. When the man repeated his question, sounding annoyed, he hastily answered. “I-I think my father would-would be willing to pay… I think, m-maybe a million? I-if I were to come home not bonded and still a—”

“Virgin? Not gonna happen,” the man chuckled darkly. “Even _I_ can’t promise to protect you in this world.” He stood up, looked around again, making sure that none of the savages returned, and then he outstretched his arm to Rhys.

The Omega refused to get up, shaking his head. “I-I won’t go anywhere with you,” he tried to sound confident, but mostly, his voice was high and stuttering. “You are a bandit.”

The Alpha laughed, loud and long. “You bite my arm, and then call me a bandit? That’s rich, kiddo, that’s rich.”

Rhys blushed a little. He has a point. This man saved him from twenty Alphas, so maybe he won’t be that bad. But maybe this was just a trick. Maybe he just didn’t like the distressed Omega scent, and so he wanted Rhys to trust him. Or he just wanted him to crawl out of his hiding and follow him, because he couldn’t get him out by force.

The last thought was disproved as the Alpha lost patience, caught Rhys by his shirt and pulled him to his feet in one fluid motion.

 _Godheissostrong!_ Rhys’ brain short-circuited for a while. His instinct told him that this Alpha is not only safe, but also strong enough to protect a family, and it relaxed him a little even though he should be frightened. Those were the situations when he hated his Omega biology.

“Let’s go,” the man pulled him forward, taking his wrist again. “Unless you want to be shared by fifty bandits by the end of the day…”

Against his better judgement, Rhys retorted: “There were twenty of them at most.” He bit his tongue afterwards, scolding himself for talking back to the Alpha.

But the man’s only reaction was a chuckle. “The rest would come and join later, when the strongest ones had their go. By the time, your ass would be so stretched you would be able to take two at once; you’d be so full of their cum it would be leaking out, and you’d be drenched in it. Smelling Omega bitch. Sounds good?” he looked over his shoulder, his eyes dark and amused when he noticed Rhys’ paled face. “Thought so. Now, if you stick with Jack, you might be able to make it out alive.”

Rhys followed him quietly until they stopped in front of a hut. As Jack released his hand to undo the chain and lock on the door, he took a step back. The hut was outside of the abandoned town. If he runs faster than the Alpha, he might escape this damn place…

“Don’t even think about it, cupcake,” the alpha warned when he took another step back. The door was opened, and Rhys backed off more when the man turned to him. “Come inside,” he ordered, unimpressed by Rhys’ courage.

“L-like hell I-I’m gonna go there!” he said. It lacked any venom or confidence, but he felt proud of himself for even doing that.

“It’s not a trap, dumbass,” the Alpha rolled his eyes. He crossed the distance between them in two long strides and caught Rhys again. Without effort, he pushed the Omega into the small house, where he fell to the floor.

Immediately, Rhys scrambled away from the Alpha, fear once again spiking up to the maximum. There was no instinct telling him that this is alright; instead, everything was telling him to run, because he is alone in a small room with a strange Alpha.

“Calm down, for fuck’s sake,” the man said as he walked past him. “I just need to pick up some things, and then we are leaving this shithole.” Indeed, he pulled out a duffel bag from a small box that had its lid torn off and started filling it with things. Clothes, canned food, two water bottles and a lot of papers.

Rhys watched with guard, gradually calming down. As he was watching him, Rhys realised multiple things about the Alpha. First, he was definitely not from Pandora. A lot of his things suggested one of the more developed planets. Second, he was tall, strong and young. He was right that if anybody has a chance to protect Rhys, it’s him. Third, under all the dirt, he was actually good looking, and young, and an Alpha. And Rhys knew that this is a catastrophe waiting to happen, because the Omega in him was more than willing to trust him.

When he was done, the man threw the bag towards the door and came to crouch in front of Rhys again. The Omega tensed up, watching him with wary eyes.

“I’m Jack,” the man said. He waited, and then he added: “I’m twenty-seven, a former programmer for Atlas.”

“Rhys,” the Omega said, relaxing a little. Maybe this would be better. “I’m… seventeen,” he admitted. He was taught to be ashamed of this fact by that point. He was a young Omega from a good family, intended for breeding, but this one thing was wrong about him.

“Seventeen, huh?” the Alpha mused. “Had your first heat yet?” he asked, just like everybody else before him.

“Not yet.” Even though Rhys knew that this is not the stranger’s business, and he has no right to judge him, he felt shame paint his face red. Most Omegas had their first heat at fifteen or sixteen. It was a one-day thing, only a taste of the real thing, and a sign that it’s time for the Omega to be given to someone. Rhys was still waiting.

“That might actually help us a lot,” the Alpha mused. “Now, tell me, how does a delicate thing like you get to Pandora?”

Rhys huffed, the memory not yet settled in his brain. For now, it was like watching a movie, but he was sure later it would hit him and not let go, haunting him in his dreams.

“They were taking me to Elpis. There are a few rich families interested in Omegas, and they wanted to see me in person. But our shuttle had some problem, and it crushed not far from here.” He pulled his knees close and rested his chin on them. “I’m the only one who survived. The pilot and my two guards died. One of them made sure I am locked in the safest part of the ship, and then they shot themselves in the head. And my parents are already on Elpis. Earlier shuttle.”

“I’m sorry,” Jack said. It didn’t sound very honest, but Rhys appreciated it, nevertheless. At least the Alpha tried. “I heard that crash in the morning but figured everybody would be dead. I’m not sure if you got lucky or unlucky.” Rhys snored, and the Alpha sighed. “Now, I know you don’t trust me, but I have a good plan. Just tell me one thing – if I bring you to the nearest town safe and unharmed, and contact your parents, will they agree to get me off this planet?”

Rhys wanted to lie. He really wanted, but the Alpha’s voice got a little harder with the question, playing on the relaxed Omega’s mind, and he answered truthfully. His parents were selfish and calculating. Releasing a person who was clearly banished for something would cause the family problems. “No, they wouldn’t risk that. That action would endanger my father’s good name.”

“Thought so,” the Alpha sighed again. “What I’m gonna do now won’t be nice, but I promise I won’t bond you.”

The Omega had only a second to panic before he was pushed face down on the ground, Jack straddling his hips and keeping him down. “Let go!” he screamed, thrashing, but the Alpha didn’t even move above him, pinning him to the floor. Soon, he had both Rhys’ arms trapped under the Omega’s body.

“Calm down, Rhys,” Jack growled. “I _promise_ this will only hurt a little.”

Rhys panicked even more when the collar of his shirt was pulled away from his neck and the white cloth covering the left side of it to signal that he is a virgin Omega was torn away. “No! Let me go! Please!” he tried to squirm, kick, beg, but he was completely helpless against the big man.

With one hand twisted in his hair, Jack pulled his head to the side, exposing his neck and the bonding site on it. When Rhys felt big calloused fingers on his most vulnerable spot, he stilled, his screams turning into pitiful whimpers as Jack started massaging the nerve here.

“That’s it,” the Alpha murmured. “Relax, little Omega. It’s alright. I’m not gonna hurt you.” He talked in a low voice, said a lot of nice, soothing things, massaged the spot, until Rhys turned completely silent and still. When he noticed that the Omega is no longer fighting, the hand in his hair started stroking instead of tugging.

It didn’t feel good. It didn’t feel right. He knew for sure that it was supposed to be different. He had his bonding site checked by doctors, gently stroked by his nannies when he woke up from a nightmare or when he got hurt as a child. It was always nice, made him relax, feel good. But right now, he only felt his body relaxing, but his mind was still panicking.

“There it is,” Jack hummed when Rhys’ neck started hurting from all the attention. The nerve felt like on fire, like Jack stabbed it with a fork. The Alpha started pressing his fingers into the neck more systematically, feeling the outline of the gland that was undoubtedly agitated and swollen.

“Keep still,” he warned with a growl, and then he leaned down, licking the spot.

Not like Rhys had a choice anyway. He couldn’t force his body to move, couldn’t even make a sound. He was scared, trapped, defenceless, and he felt teeth on his neck. Only one whimper left his mouth, and then he was silent again.

“Shh,” Jack soothed, pulling away for a second. He pressed a gentle kiss to the back of Rhys’ neck and nuzzled the short hair there with his nose until he was sure that the Omega is somewhat calmed. Then he started licking again, pressing his tongue against the swollen spot.

Rhys finally realised what is Jack doing. He was searching for the outline of the nerve. His teeth were placed outside of the dangerous zone. He didn’t want to bond him, only to bite. Fake a bond scar.

The Omega panicked again when the Alpha wavered, hesitating and then moving his teeth right in the centre of the nerve. He felt the man tense up, inhale sharply, but then he placed his teeth on the outline again and _bit_.

Like the spell that kept him still was broken, Rhys screamed and arched off the floor, trying to get the Alpha off him again. It hurt a lot, and Jack kept applying more force until his teeth were buried in the Omega’s flesh. When he finally pulled away and got to licking the blood, Rhys was too wrung out to fight anymore, and he just collapsed to the floor, sobbing and panting.

“There you go,” Jack hummed when he was satisfied. He climbed off Rhys, reached for something on the bed. Disinfectant and a sterile cloth. Rhys didn’t notice previously that Jack prepared these things, but he didn’t have the will to be angry with himself now. He screamed weakly again when Jack cleaned the wound, the soothing noises and whispers doing nothing to him anymore, and then he fell limp.

Jack was obviously not content with the young man laying in the dirt, and he pulled him up to sit in his lap. Too exhausted to think, Rhys wrapped his arms around the Alpha’s neck, nose pressed to the side of it where his scent was strong. He let himself be rocked, stroked and calmed; he sought the comfort.

It was maybe twenty minutes later when Rhys came to himself, realised what’s happening. Jack is petting his hair and back, still rocking him side to side, whispering some empty soothing words. His neck aches terribly whenever his head moves, and pitiful whines keep coming from his mouth.

Jack notices him finally calming, and he pulls back slightly so he can look him in the eyes. With the back of his hand, the older man wipes his tears away, giving Rhys one curt smile. “Feeling better?” he asks.

Rhys stops himself before he can nod, and instead, he croaks out a yes. Jack lets him rest for another five minutes, and then pulls them both to their feet. “If we take off now, we’ll get to a pretty safe place by the evening. Let’s go,” he pushes Rhys forward, and the Omega follows his orders silently.

The Pandoran weather is predictable in all the aspects. On the iceberg, it will always be cold and snowing; in the desert, scorching. It’s no surprise that the sun tries to burn them both alive. Jack makes sure to stop often to make the Omega drink some water, and he helps him use his shirt to cover his head, the only thing covering his chest now the thin white Omega underwear, part of it torn off by the Alpha.

Rhys is silent for the first three hours of their walk. He keeps putting one foot in front of the other, watching the sand and dust stain his shoes, seep into them and ruin his socks too. He ignores Jack’s few questions and remarks and only finally speaks when they stop in a cool shadow under a big rock.

“They wanted to cut my bonding site out,” he says. “They do that to breeding Omegas.”

Jack is silent for a few seconds, his face showing a hint of worry, but then detachment. “I know. You were alright with that?”

Rhys nods, wincing when it causes hot pain to shoot through his neck. That gets Jack to immediately appear by his side, soothing and tending to him. The Alpha acts like they were bonded. Probably out of pity or instinct.

“I was,” Rhys says when he manages to pull away from Jack. He doesn’t leave his hug, just pulling away far enough to look at him, even though he is not actually looking. “It was my destiny all along, set before I was even born. You know I could do much worse in this world.”

“Yeah, but having your bonding site cut out is not the best either…” Jack notes, his hands never stopping stroking the younger man’s back.

Rhys shrugs. “I know. But I would have a lot of children, and I would have multiple Alphas spoiling me, buying me anything I ever wanted, keeping me safe… As an Omega, you are taught that this exactly is the best life you can get.”

“And if you weren’t an Omega?”

Rhys snorts. “I’d be a programmer, a badass Alpha.”

“Me?” Jack chuckles.

“No, better than you. I wouldn’t get myself banished.” He sticks his tongue out on the shocked Alpha, giggling at the face Jack is making.

“I guess you wouldn’t do bad as an Alpha,” the older man admits. “So… I guess they didn’t do it because they weren’t sure you are fertile?” They both wince at the condensation, even the Alpha realising that this is not a good way to put it.

“Yeah, my only worth was threatened when I didn’t get my first heat,” Rhys says wryly. “But the doctors assured my parents that I’m healthy, just late. They decided not to risk anything in case I wouldn’t be good enough for a breeding Omega, and someone wanted to make me their kept Omega instead.”

Jack didn’t know what to say, and that was stupid, because he was a great speaker, manipulator. He got his reputation in that stupid town almost without a fight, just speaking his way up. But what do you say to someone who is basically born as a fancy slave? Sure, on the most developed planets, Omegas had _some_ rights, but elsewhere in the universe, it was _bad_.

It’s not like he is a saint or an Omega sympathiser either. He almost bit the boy in the wrong way, and he is almost sure he noticed it too. And he knows that Omegas are considered less for a reason. It’s unethical, stupid, but there are facts. Omegas are dependant, unable to take care of themselves without an Alpha. They can’t protect themselves; they aren’t enough emotionally stable. There are so many reasons for the world to be like this. But it still made him feel bad for the boy.

“Looks like you’d be better running away from them than returning, huh?” he suggests half-jokingly. “There are places where Omegas are part of the society.”

Another snort. “I’ve been to such places. No thanks. Alphas and Betas constantly trying to get into your pants are way worse when there isn’t an army of guards and caretakers to chase them off from you. The people there don’t see the difference. They only think it will be easier to get themselves a plaything.”

Jack sighs. So much for trying to help. “Let’s get going, kiddo. We need to hurry up a little.” But in the end, it’s the Alpha who takes another minute to let go of the other.

* * *

Pandora reminds them that it is a dangerous place at dusk. They are still at least an hour away from their destination, Jack now visibly nervous. And suddenly, there is a car driving right at them.

Jack swears and springs to action while Rhys just keeps staring at the cloud of dust. He pushes them both out of the way, sending the two bodies rolling in the dust. The car runs past them and turns to drive in a circle around.

“Rhys, I need you to do something for me,” he whispers frantically, trying to get the Omega to look at him, but the young man is frozen, too exhausted to fight the fear one more time. “Pumpkin, please, look up,” Jack insists. He manages to pull him up into a sitting position by the time the car goes for a second round.

Jack places both Rhys’ hands on his ears, presses them with his. The Omega seems to understand, and he curls into a ball, hiding his face and covering.

“Stay!” Jack says loudly and runs away.

Rhys stays in that position, not doubting the Alpha’s orders. He doesn’t move, makes himself as small as possible. Jack is a good Alpha, he is taking care of him, and he will keep him safe. He keeps telling himself that, even though he knows that those are dangerous thoughts. He mustn’t get attached. His destiny is elsewhere, in someone else’s lap. For some reason, that thought makes him whimper.

It’s too quick. It feels like only a second later when his hands are gently pulled at and a nose is nuzzling the back of his head. As soon as Rhys can hear it, Jack says: “Come on, princess. I got us a car.”

Once again following him like a puppy, Rhys walks one step behind Jack. He doesn’t see any body around them, but the scent of anger, fear and blood is strong in the air.

Jack helps him to the passenger seat. “Close your eyes, or only look to the front,” he instructs him. “Don’t look to the left until I say so. Can you do that, kitten?”

After Rhys nods, Jack walks around the car and sits in the driver seat. He swears when the vehicle starts, muttering something about stupid bandits. “This won’t last long,” he says when they drive off. “But it can make our journey a little bit easier tomorrow. There will be a lot of skags, and the fuel should last long enough to escape them.”

“How do you know all of that?” Rhys asks. He doesn’t want silence, not now. Jack killed some people without batting an eye. To protect _him_. ~~His Omega.~~

“I’ve tried this before,” the Alpha shrugs. “I got as far as to the first relatively normal town. They shot me with an electric weapon, gave me a nice scar, and sent me straight back. I need a better bargaining power.”

“Will you kill me if it doesn’t work?” he asks next. His voice is stupidly high and choked.

“What? No!” Jack huffs. “I’m not a psychopath or something. I’ll just make a better plan next time.”

“What’s the actual plan?”

Jack chuckles. “Well, I’m glad you’ve asked after blindly following it for a day already…”

“It’s not like you would be able to think straight in my situation!” Rhys pouts.

Another laughter from Jack. “Don’t get your panties in a twist, kiddo… Wait, do Omegas wear panties, or do you wear boxers?” Rhys glares at him. “Oooh, I get it, bad question. Can’t be mad at me for curiosity…” Jack doesn’t lose the smile, and he speeds up, startling the Omega. “Now, my genius plan… In a few minutes, we will arrive to an abandoned settlement. There, we can get more water, and sleep. Tomorrow, we will drive as far as possible, and then we walk to this beautiful place called Happy Pig Motel.

“Another six hours journey, and we arrive to a town with a stable signal. There, I will contact your parents, tell them I bonded you and we need to be picked up. I will agree to state no claim on you if they pay me, and I will disappear from your life.”

“They will know we are not bonded as soon as they pick us up,” Rhys notes.

“Yes, but by then I will already by off this planet, and then I am free. They will not take the risk of endangering their precious boy by killing his mate, right? They will want to wait the bond out and get you full of rich Alpha come in no—” He stops abruptly, realising what he’s saying. “Yeah, sorry. Got carried away.”

“Apology noted,” Rhys spits, finally getting some venom to his voice. “You know, _Alpha_ , I never hated my life before. I just accepted it. But you can congratulate yourself, because when you put it nicely like that, I really, really _hate_ it.”

Silence spreads in the car, the only sound the engine and rakks above them. Jack opens his mouth a few times, but Rhys always fixes him with a glare so hard he changes his mind. Finally, they arrive to a settlement of four houses, and Jack stops.

Two of the buildings look ready to crumble, walls rusty and roofs full of holes. Another one has planks over the windows and chains holding the door shut. They head into the last one, not much bigger than Jack’s hut.

“There is a latrine outside. I’ll make us some meal,” Jack says, leaving the Omega some space.

Rhys tries to be angry with the man. He slams the doors shut when he walks outside, he takes his time using the awfully smelling wooden toilet, and he stands outside for another couple minutes. But when he finally walks in, Jack had already made fire in the small fireplace, and he is warming up some food in a can.

The Alpha is silent, not pushing, and he only approaches the younger man with some warmed up beans and a pack of crackers. He is a little show-off, folding the can lid in a way it can be used like a spoon, warning the Omega to eat carefully.

With warm food in his stomach, Rhys melts. He is warm, fed, safe, and there is an Alpha tending to him, and his brain starts to go to the dangerous places again. As he munches on the crackers, he notices Jack looking at him, and he blushes and turns his face towards the fire.

When they both eat their portions, Jack boils some water over the fire and refills their bottles. Then he locks the door and throws his arm in the direction of the one bed here.

“There is only one bed,” he points out.

Rhys rolls his eyes. “I noticed. Do you want to share? Otherwise, we would have to keep the fire going all night. I get really cold at nights.”

“Sharing is fine,” Jack smirks. “Do you trust me, though?”

“Huh?” Rhys looks like he wasn’t paying attention in the last seconds, and Jack smirks again.

“Omega brain,” he mutters. “Come on, get on the bed before you fall asleep on spot.” He helps Rhys make himself comfortable by the wall and then spoons him. One of Jack’s arms goes under his head, because the Omega snatched the only pillow, and the other one over Rhys’ side, resting on his stomach. The younger man tenses momentarily, but then relaxes, letting out a soft purr.

“You feelin’ safe, baby?” Jack teases him by gently tickling. Rhys hums approvingly. “Warm, fed, safe and happy with me?” Another approval and a yawn. The Omega is too cute for his own good, Jack decides. “Sleep well, kitten.”

Jack can’t stop himself from kissing the top of Rhys’ head, like many times in the day. It’s stupid and dangerous to indulge his Alpha instincts, but this boy is something completely different than whatever he met in his life.

* * *

In the morning, Rhys wakes up well-rested, surrounded by a warm scent of a familiar, caring Alpha. His mind doesn’t even register the weirdness of the situation, and he stretches and turns around in the Alpha’s arms, nuzzling his chest.

“Good morning, kitten,” Jack hums, his voice deep and raspy from sleep.

Startled, Rhys pulls away. He blushes and hides his face, muttering sorry.

“Nothing to be sorry about. Waking up with a pretty Omega is my favourite kind of mornings,” Jack teases as he also stretches and sits up.

“How many Omegas have you been with?” Rhys asks curiously.

“Just a few. Three or four. Most of them in places you wouldn’t like to find yourself in, but never unwilling. I’m not into human trafficking.” Jack gets up and begins searching his bag for something suitable for breakfast. “How many Alphas have you woken up with?”

“None,” Rhys hums. Jack looks at him like he was lying, and in return, he looks at the Alpha like he was stupid. “I have heated and weighted blankets to keep me warm and calm. I only slept with my parents when I was sick as a kid, but they are both Alphas, so it got overwhelming.”

“First, that’s barbaric,” Jack gesticulates with another pack of crackers. “Heated blankets instead of a Beta nanny or something, that’s just… stupid.” He ignores Rhys’ protests and continues. “Second, which one of your parent is the biological?”

Two Alphas can’t have children, and Omegas are only born of Omegas, so this one was easy to guess. Rhys contemplates not telling Jack, because it’s a private information his family keeps, but then he shrugs. “My father. My Omega dad was a breeding Omega.”

They eat crackers and some canned fruit, most of it eaten by Rhys, because Jack insists that Omegas need vitamins. He is right. Rhys already misses the bowl of fruit sliced to small slices and cubes he got for breakfast every morning. It’s hard to believe that he had the last one yesterday. It feels like ages ago.

They leave the settlement in the car Jack got last night, driving for an hour before it dies. Then, they walk in the sun again.

This time, Jack is carrying a gun, and Rhys’ eyes keep travelling to it every couple minutes. It’s for their protection. The bullets are for the skags around them, not the Omega. Still, Rhys wonders if it will ever be pointed at his temple. Maybe when Jack negotiates with his father?

The desert seems a little different today. More solid ground, less dust. Nevertheless, even more dirt sticks to their bodies. Rhys is sure he doesn’t resemble the pretty, pampered and soft Omega he was yesterday morning at all. His neck is exposed, a red bitemark on it, he is in his underwear and pants that got a few cuts as he rolled around and crawled on the ground. He must look disgusting.

Jack, on the other hand, pulls the bandit look off perfectly. The dust on his sweaty skin seems to do him more good than bad, his muscles are visible under the unfitting clothes, his hair is wild, hinting the fire Rhys knows is inside. He is ~~hot~~ dangerous.

Lost in these thoughts, Rhys doesn’t even notice the pack of skags following them. Jack does, however, and he curses, getting the young man’s attention. “These guys are hungry,” he throws a finger over his shoulder.

Rhys’ eyes widen as he sees at least ten of the beasts slowly trailing after them, sniffing and growling. “Will-will you… shoot them?” he asks nervously.

“Too many,” Jack shakes his head. He keeps glancing around, seeking a way out, and Rhys does the same. But he only sees rocks and a few dead trees. Some high grass. No shadow, no shelter.

Jack grows more and more nervous, pulling the Omega close, his instincts telling him where priorities stand. The skags keep getting closer, circling them, growling and barking more often. There are at least ten smaller ones, and three big, Alpha ones. And Jack has only one small gun.

“If I get their attention on me, you might be able to—”

“No,” Rhys denies quickly. “I’m a shitty runner. And there is nowhere to go anyway.” He is trembling, clutching the Alpha’s arm shamelessly. What death would be quicker? There, or running in the desert, or at the abandoned town…?

“Oh shit…”

Just like that, all the skags run away. Jack starts looking around more urgently now, and so does Rhys. “This…” he begins to ask. “This is not normal, right?”

“No,” Jack chuckles dryly. “This means something bigger is coming.”

As if on cue, there is a loud roar behind them. Both men turn around, Jack pushing Rhys behind himself. Where the skags followed them previously, there is another, much bigger. It’s fur buzzes with electricity, making the air smell like ozone. This must be what they call badass on Pandora, Rhys realises.

“I’ve got a plan,” Jack says quietly. The relief that fills Rhys doesn’t stay for long, however. “It involves you running far away while I take care of him.”

“No,” he disagrees. His voice is too high, and it gets the beast’s attention, making it charge, its glow dangerous even in the sunlight. “I-I can’t.”

“I’ll join you in no time, don’t worry,” Jack tries to use the commanding tone that makes Omegas obey, but he is clearly nervous. “Run, Rhys.”

“N-no,” the young man wavers, something, probably the Alpha’s scent all around him, _on_ him, tells him to obey, submit.

“Rhys, I’ll join you in a minute,” Jack growls as he flips something on the gun open and starts pulling at wires inside. “But I need to know that you are safe first. _Run!_ ”

Rhys’ legs are moving before he knows it, carrying him away from the Alpha and the beast. He hears another frightening roar and a similar holler coming from Jack, but he doesn’t dare to turn around before he is hiding behind a huge rock. When he looks back, it’s just in time to see Jack’s plan.

The Alpha is standing still in front of the charging beast. He even spreads his arms in invitation, the gun in one hand, sparkles coming from the hole Jack gutted. He doesn’t look scared of the animal running at him in the slightest. The skag jumps, opens its mouth, and—

Jack throws the gun inside, turns around and runs. Behind him, the thing explodes in the beast’s mouth, completely destroying its jaw. Rhys takes his eyes off it before he gets sick.

“Whooo-hooo!” Jack exclaims cheerily when he joins the Omaga. “That was-that was something, right?! That was awe-awesome! I was awesome!” He is shaking, but Rhys can tell it’s not just excitement. He can smell fear on the Alpha.

“You were scared,” he blames, subconsciously stepping closer and offering his neck to be scented. “You didn’t believe your plan…”

Jack pulls him even closer, inhaling the calming Omega scent deeply. When his hands stop shaking on the Omega’s shoulders, he pulls away and grins. “I was giving it solid fifty-five percent.”

Rhys frowns. “You could have died, idiot!” Immediately, he bows his head and blushes. “Sorry.”

Jack shakes his head. “You should call me a hero, you ungrateful ass.” He still sounds excited, and not angry, and so the Omega dares to look up and smile at him.

“I must say, it was cool,” he admits.

“Pretty fucking amazing, you want to say…”

“Pretty amazing.” He winks at Jack and hugs him once more. “But don’t do that again.”

* * *

The rest of the day isn’t uneventful. When they stop to eat a cold lunch, rakks attack them, and without any weapon, Jack has to chase them off with a dry tree branch. The Omega is unharmed, but the Alpha receives a few scratches.

They run out of water three hours before the sun sets, and the rest of the journey is filled by nervous swallowing, tasting dirt and the scorching air. At least there are no bandits and no more monsters.

When they arrive at the Motel, Jack has to fix the generator (read: give it a few angry kicks until it starts working). He picks a room for them, and then takes a shower while Rhys eats more warmed up canned food.

When Rhys goes to the shower, he feels like in a spa. The water is actually lukewarm at best, and there is only a gooey substance for a shampoo and soap in one, but it smells almost good, and it makes all the dirt flow away. His muscles relax, his frantic thoughts calm down into a slow stream of _warm… safe… good Alpha…_

Rhys stays in there until the water is too cold, and then he stands in the warm room until he is dried off. He looks into the one shard left of the mirror to see the bite for the first time, and it actually… looks really good. It looks _right_. He wonders if it’s because he is an Omega, meant to be bonded, or because it’s Jack’s mark. The two rows of teeth just look right.

Jack gave him some of his clothes, and so Rhys puts on fresh boxers, loose camo pants that he ties with a string, and a yellow shirt. He looks funny; those are not Omega colours, but in a way, he likes it. It smells of Jack, his calming scent, and it makes him look wild. Like a free Omega.

He walks out of the bathroom smiling, receiving a whistle from Jack. “You look like a new person,” he comments the appearance.

“Feels like it, too,” Rhys admits. “Not just washing off all the dirt, but… I feel different. I mean, thank you, Jack.”

The Alpha chuckles. “I’m still the one who bit you.”

“I bit you too,” Rhys reminds, waving his right hand.

“And I’m taking advantage of you to get off this planet…”

“And helping me get home safe…”

They both exchange expectant looks, daring each other to draw their point further, and then they laugh. Rhys is sitting next to Jack by that point, and some warm feeling draws him closer. He moves as close as possible, pressing his body against Jack, desiring his warmth.

When Rhys looks up, their eyes meet. Jack’s are full of something he’d never seen before, but somehow, he knows how he feels, because he is sure he feels the same. Rhys tilts his head back and Jack closes the gap between them.

The kiss is slow and long. When they part, Rhys opens his eyes, not realising he’d closed them. Before he can say anything, or think, Jack is kissing him again, this time with more passion, fire. Rhys moans, and Jack’s tongue slips into his mouth. He shivers at the new feeling.

But eventually, it all ends. One, two, three kisses are enough. They both are aware of the danger of growing feelings for each other. None wants to accept that it might be too late.

“Let’s get some sleep, huh?” Jack helps him get up.

This bed is bigger, made for two, but the Alpha and the Omega lay close to each other anyway. Rhys feels tired suddenly, and so he falls asleep immediately, while Jack stays awake once more, contemplating the situation.

It’s just his way out. It’s just a little harmless fun. So many things can go wrong, but nothing will. He knows how to play safe. Kisses are safe. Hugs are safe. He can bask in the Omega’s sweet scent without causing damage.

* * *

Rhys whimpers, and that sound wakes him up. As soon as he gains consciousness, he knows something is very wrong. He whimpers again, smelling his own distress in the air. And arousal.

It’s his first heat.

“Jack…” The name comes out of his mouth like a moan. Rhys had never felt this horny in his life. He realises that slick is basically _leaking_ out of him in that moment, and his dick is hard almost painfully. He is hot, undoubtedly feverous, and the soothing Alpha scent around him is probably the only thing keeping him from crying. He wants it. He needs it.

“Jack, please,” he whimpers, turning around to shake the Alpha’s shoulder. “Alpha, Jack, please…”

Jack finds it strange to have a wet dream. Mainly because he never had ones. He had morning woods but having a dream full of sex wasn’t apparently his brain’s thing. But when he opened his eyes to Rhys’ pitiful pleas, he was sure that this can’t be anything but a wet dream. He recognised the faint scent of a heat in the air.

“Rhysie…” he whispers, taking both of the younger man’s hands that are currently tugging at his shirt in his. “What am I supposed to do with you now?” he asked. He knows he won’t be able to resist, but he wants Rhys to know that he tried. “You are gonna regret it in the morning.”

The Omega whimpers again, trying to free his hands. “Jack, please. Don’t talk, just help me.” He seems to still have a lot of sense in him, though, and that only urges Jack forward.

Only a second later, Rhys is pressed into the mattress by Jack’s weight, his wrists pinned by his head. “Is this what you want?” Jack asks.

Rhys nods, already reaching for a kiss, his hips mindlessly moving to gain some friction against the Alpha’s body. The kiss is uncoordinated, messy and confused. Rhys seems too out of it in that moment, and Jack worries that his consent really is only fuelled by the hormones. Still, he doesn’t stop.

“Get on the floor,” he commands. If they have sex on that bed, everybody will be able to smell it forever, and that wouldn’t be nice, especially if some bandit wandered in shortly after they leave. Rhys whines in distress when Jack gets up, watches him put a spare blanket from the room on the floor, but then he remembers that order and lies on the white fabric.

“Good boy,” Jack praises, and the Omega beams up at him. “Now, strip.”

Again, obeying like a dog, Rhys does what he is told. He has some problems untangling the string on the pants, and Jack has to help him, kissing him again. He notices that his underwear is not completely ruined yet, surprisingly. He would expect Rhys to be more slick when he is this hot and horny.

Jack takes off his shirt, but nothing else. As an Alpha, he feels more comfortable having the upper hand in every aspect, and being in his pants while the Omega is naked and panting under him is definitely what he wants.

His eyes travel up and down the Omega’s body, hunger spiking up in his guts. No wonder they wanted to make a breeding Omega out of Rhys. The boy is beautiful. White skin, little pink nipples, soft belly, long legs. His pupils are blown wide with arousal and lips red and swollen. The only thing stopping Jack from devouring him, leaving his mark on every part of the pale body, is how tiny and defenceless Rhys looks next to him. He wants to take, but also protect.

Rhys sits up, reaching for another kiss, and Jack places both hands on his back. The Alpha realises that he is covering almost all of it. When he moves them to his sides, it feels like he could crush the slim body. And when he puts them on Rhys’ hips, he knows how much power and strength he has. He doesn’t want to take advantage of ~~his~~ Rhys.

“Pumpkin, this is not a good idea,” he says between kisses. “Your parents—”

“Fuck them,” Rhys retorts. “I know what I want.”

“You probably don’t know what five plus five is right now,” Jack shakes his head, trying to escape another salve of kisses.

“Ten. I am still here, Jack.” Rhys gives him _that_ look, the one he makes any time he disagrees with the Alpha, beats his nature. It’s a challenge, and Jack’s inner Alpha doesn’t take well being challenged by an Omega. He has trouble containing it. “I want this, Jack. Just one time, let me pick my fate.” When that doesn’t work, Rhys leans closer, whispering right into the Alpha’s ear. His voice is clouded by the heat, but the message is clear. “Let me give you my virginity.”

“Fuck,” Jack swears. In the next second, Rhys is pressed face-down to the ground. Jack pulls his hips up, making him kneel while still keeping his head down. He spreads his legs with almost too much force, earning a whimper. “Shh, good boy,” he soothes.

Jack takes a moment to have a good look again. Rhys’ ass are two snow-white globes, begging to be fondled, to be spanked when he disobeys. His back is arched in a beautiful way, and there is no hair on his legs, probably laser removed.

 _A virgin_ , Jack thinks. _Let’s see._

“You never had sex?” he asks, both hands traveling up Rhys’ thighs to rest on his ass.

“No, Alpha,” the young man gasps.

“Did anybody ever touch you there?” He gently teases Rhys’ slick hole with a big thumb. He wonders if his one finger would be enough for the boy to come, but he knows he doesn’t have enough patience to find out.

“O-only a doctor,” the Omega answers dutifully.

Possessiveness surges through Jack, a low growl bubbling in his chest. Rhys twitches, trying to make himself look smaller, present his ass higher and hide his face, and Jack snaps out of it immediately. “Good boy. Last question,” he promises. He starts teasing the tight ring of muscles with his middle finger, earning gasps and moans. “Did you ever finger yourself?” he asks as he dips the finger in.

There is a moment hesitance, but then Rhys answers. “Yes, I-I did. But only a few times, I promise!” He thinks Jack will be angry with him, but the Alpha is busy searching for…

“A virgin,” Jack says for himself. He looks at the pink flesh clutching tightly around his finger, feeling the bit of softer tissue that tells him that this indeed is a young, unclaimed, fertile Omega, waiting just for him to take and mark. “Fucking hell, kitten…”

“Alpha, please,” Rhys whimpers again. He tries to push back on the finger, but the movement is clumsy, causing pain rather than pleasure.

“Shh, cupcake,” Jack soothes. “Let me take care of you.” He starts slowly moving the finger in and out, waiting until Rhys gets used to the foreign feeling before he adds another.

“Big!” Rhys whimpers, clenching down, whole body trembling.

Jack waits patiently, testing his own resolve again, until Rhys relaxes. He strokes his sides and back, kisses every bit of skin he can reach. He tells him that he is good and beautiful and so tight. He tells him that he is a good Omega, the best Omega, and Jack never wants another. He hopes they both will forget the last promise.

Jack stretches Rhys carefully, like he would break if he rushed it even a little. The Omega is continuously whimpering, trembling and begging by the time Jack is moving three fingers inside of him easily. He knows three fingers might not be enough, but neither of them can wait anymore.

“Rhysie, it will hurt a little, but I promise you will like it when you get used to it, okay?” He tries to warn the younger man as he helps him lie on his back, but he doesn’t hear him, stuck in a loop of _Jack, please, Alpha, I need you._

He knows he has to go slow. He knows that he mustn’t hurt Rhys. He wants to hold back. But when he pushes the head of his cock in, feeling the tight wet warmth, sweat breaks out on his forehead and back with the strain of not thrusting forward. Jack tries to take deep breaths, counting, but then Rhys moans, and his hips snap forward, burying to the hilt. The moan turns to a distressed cry.

“Shh, shh, good Omega, you are doing so good,” Jack soothes. “Just relax, baby boy. It will feel good, just relax.” He pulls Rhys closer, wraps both his arms around him, lifting him off the floor slightly. They kiss for a while, and Rhys relaxes enough so his panting and cries turn into something more controlled.

Slowly, Jack tries to pull out a little and thrust back in. Rhys moans in the sweet innocent way he can only imagine him moaning, and Jack can’t hold back any longer, he starts thrusting, pressing the Omega to the floor again. He angles his hips, searching for that sweet spot, and he knows he found it when Rhys suddenly arches under him and comes with a shout, sounding almost confused.

“Good Omega, so good,” Jack praises mindlessly while he waits for Rhys to calm down a little and his binding muscles to relax. Then he starts thrusting again, one of his hands going to stroke the Omega’s cock, still hard. “Poor thing, you need something more, right?” he teases gently, his pace quickening when he thinks about knotting this beautiful man.

Rhys is beyond begging, moans mixing with whines. His eyes widen when Jack’s knot starts swelling, catching on the tender flesh of his hole. “Oh God! Jack, _please_!”

“Needy,” Jack hisses, but it turns into a groan as he thrusts one more time, his knot swelling fully, and he comes. Rhys clenches around him, making Jack gasp, as the Omega’s orgasm prolongs his, and in the end, they are both panting, sweaty mess.

It’s five minutes of nice, good and warm before they both come down and start thinking with their brains again. “We shouldn’t have done this,” Jack is the first one to say. Still knotted to the beautiful, young, ~~his~~ Omega, but already, reality is calling. Rhys will be taken away, sold and bred, maybe bonded, and it’s not his place to say anything. It will be better that way.

Rhys, losing most of his short-lived rebellion against his endotype, his parents, his destiny, realises it too. But he holds up better than Jack. “I don’t regret anything,” he says, looking the older man right in the eye.

“Of course you don’t, you stubborn idiot,” he laughs, kissing his forehead and temples. “You really have some Alpha in you… Heh.”

Seeing that Rhys’ eyes are slowly closing, the young man fighting it, Jack nuzzles his cheek and says: “Sleep, little Omega. I’ll keep you safe.”

And so he does. He waits until his knot softens, gently pulling out of Rhys. There is no trace of blood as Jack feared, calming his conscience a little. He cleans them both off with the sheet, and then carries Rhys back on the bed where he spoons him and keeps him warm and safe till morning.

* * *

When Rhys wakes up, he feels hot again, but it’s not the urgent burning like hours ago. Jack soothes him and uses one hand to finger him and the other to jerk him off. This time, this is enough for the Omega, and he returns to sleep for another couple hours.

Jack wakes Rhys up at noon, having food and drink ready for him by the time, and so Rhys sits in the bed and nibbles on yet another pack of crackers (he’ll never eat crackers again in his life when he gets out) and canned fruit.

“How are you feelin’?” the Alpha asks with worry. “It looks like it’s gone.”

“I think it’s gone,” Rhys agrees. “I just feel like building a nest and sleeping for a year. Man, how can Omegas do this for a whole week? This was more than enough.”

Chuckling, Jack sits near the Omega. He takes in his scent, studying it for any leftover trace of arousal, but there is only satisfaction and calmness. “You’ll get used to it. The next one will be with an Alpha in some nice place, and you will wake up well rested, sated and happy.”

“Do you promise?” Rhys asks suddenly, looking up at the Alpha with big eyes. He looks more like a big lost child than an Omega who survived Pandora. “That I’ll be alright with them?”

It shouldn’t be hard to lie to the Omega. It was just a little fun what was between them. Jack can’t afford keeping an Omega or growing feelings, and whatever his brain tries to tell him is bullshit. “Yes. They will treat you like a king, and you will be fine,” he smiles, rubbing the younger man’s shoulder reassuringly.

Rhys seems satisfied with that answer. After taking a shower, he returns to bed, wrapping himself in a blanket as best as he can. Jack spends most of the day outside, guarding the area, and also burning the soiled blanket. By evening, he has another gun, and a shotgun on his shoulder. He faintly smells of a scared Beta and blood, but it’s not scaring the Omega. If anything, he feels proud of ~~his~~ Alpha for protecting him.

When evening comes and Jack insists they go to sleep early and set off early in the morning, Rhys almost feels guilty for his stupid body functions. It costed them a day. But Jack just hugs him and scents him and kisses him, telling him it’s alright.

The next day’s journey is so uneventful Rhys almost hopes for something to happen. There are no animals, no bandits, no obstacles, and Pandora almost feels like a welcoming place that day. ~~More welcoming than home where they will probably cut out his bonding gland the first thing they do.~~

Even sleeping outside between big rocks is uneventful. Like the planet didn’t want to stop them on their journey, didn’t want Rhys on its surface any longer.

The Alpha and the Omega don’t talk to each other much, but they still touch and spread their scents on each other’s body. On every stop they make, Jack makes sure to cover Rhys in his scent, making sure they look like they’re bonded.

The next day isn’t as calm as the previous one. By the late afternoon, they arrive to the town Jack wants to use. Or near it, anyway. They are not let in.

“Go to hell, John!” one of the Alpha guards by the town’s gate yells. “You are not welcome here!”

“Name is Jack,” the Alpha snarls, the sound sending chills down Rhys’ spine. “And I need in to pass on a precious package.”

The two Alpha guards stand five meters in front of Jack and Rhys, and their guns are bigger, but Jack acts like he owns the place anyway. He grins, paces around as he speaks. Rhys thinks that Jack could easily pass like one of his father’s business partners.

“A package, huh? How can I be sure you will leave after you are done, and I don’t have to go chasing you through the whole town?”

 _If only he knew_ , Rhys thinks.

“My honest word,” Jack smiles at them. “I have no business with this filthy town. I have better places to be.”

The guard that was silent until now steps forward. “Hey, Garry, I have an idea. John got himself a nice companion. How about we take the companion as insurance? Surely he wouldn’t mind sharing his whore…”

Emotions mix in the Omega like a tornado. He is angry – he is not a thing to be shared, he is no whore! He is scared, because obviously, those are dangerous, strange Alphas. He is unsure of what Jack’s reaction will be, and he is worried that whatever it is, there will be blood.

Jack hisses, the sound turning into a growl that makes Rhys duck his head. “What did you say about _my_ Omega again?” he asks slowly, his voice a dark promise.

“Your Omega?” Garry asks like he doesn’t understand.

“Mine!” Jack snarls. Suddenly, he pulls Rhys to his chest with one arm, keeping him there, and with the other he fists his hair and tugs his head to the side, revealing the scar on his neck. “What did you say about my mate again? Hmm? Want to come and get him?”

Rhys whimpers involuntarily, Jack’s tone making him want to bare his throat and be a good Omega but also run and hide from the Alpha’s anger. That causes Jack to release him, which confuses him even further, because he is not sure what he should do now. He settles on bowing his head, tilting it to the side so Jack sees the outline of his throat but the strange Alphas don’t.

“Okay, okay man, I get it. Your Omega. No need to bite, I’m not touching,” Garry tries to make peace. “I’ll let you in, but I want you out by tomorrow morning. Is that clear?”

“Crystal,” Jack answers, still growling lightly.

The other Alpha seems to not know when to shut up, though. “So, is that true that you can make him do anything?”

Rhys expects Jack to growl, fight him, but he only chuckles. “Pretty much. If I were to, say, rent him out for a night to ease my way out of hell, he’d do it. Why do you think people grow suddenly rich when they stumble upon an Omega?” he asks with a smirk. “Their nature makes them perfect sex slaves.”

These words coming from Jack’s mouth are like a cold shower. Suddenly, it’s not his Alpha, and this is not a strange vacation. He’s crash-landed and a hostage. He is here to play a role, and so he forces himself to not back away from the Alpha but bare his throat further, offering himself to him like a good little Omega bitch. He will never be anything more.

“So, if I pay the right price…?” the strange Alpha asks, the implication making Rhys shiver, but he is a good boy.

“Now we are talking!” Jack laughs. “See me by dawn, we can come up with something. Now, let’s go, pumpkin,” he lightly slaps Rhys’ ass, urging him into the town.

People seem to make way to an Alpha who has a bonded Omega, and Rhys is not sure if he wants to know why. He just wants to go home, where the same fate awaits him, but at least it will be sugarcoated.

Jack knows where they need to go, and Rhys follows him blindly. He feels like he got punched by the town gate. Like he woke up from a dream too suddenly. Jack didn’t mean the words. But they were true. He is a fancy version of a sex slave.

“I need to contact Elpis, and I know you can make it happen,” Jack says suddenly, getting Rhys’ attention. He is talking to a man with a Sheriff star on his vest.

“I can. But why would I do that?” he asks. His breath smells of alcohol and cigarettes, he is old and unpleasant, and Rhys wonders if Jack will offer him to this man too. How far will the act have to go? Does it even matter, now that he is not a virgin?

“Ten thousand dollars,” Jack says with his usual confidence. “That’s a lot of beer.”

“You don’t have ten thousand dollars, John,” the Sheriff laughs.

“No, but I have a way to get them. You see this pretty little thing,” he gesticulates towards Rhys. “He is the Omega son of some rich idiot who is currently on Elpis. He will pay a good price for him, and I’m willing to split.” The words are mean on their own, but it’s Jack’s next action that really makes Rhys doubt everything about the plan. The Alpha pulls him to his chest again, but this time, a gun is pressed to his temple. “And before you even think about crossing me and getting the prize yourself, he is mine, and I won’t hesitate to make sure nobody gets to take this from me. I worked hard for my chance to get off this hellhole, and I’m ready to do more.”

Rhys’ whimpering and trembling seems to go unnoticed by Jack, but it gets the Sheriff’s attention. The man studies the Omega’s body, eyes more and more often stopping on his neck. “Who is he bonded to?” he asks.

“Me,” Jack answers, sounding annoyed. “It’s my way out. They won’t risk giving him a broken bond syndrome before they get to cut his gland out, and by then, I’ll be gone. And you will be ten thousand dollars richer. What do you say?”

Rhys hears the Sheriff take a sniff, undoubtedly making sure that the Alpha is not lying, and then he nods. “I’ll let you make this call. But I want fifteen thousand.”

“Deal,” Jack says, the sound too close to Rhys’ ear, he feels the hot breath tickling his hair and cheeks, and he whimpers one last time, urging the Alpha to let him go.

Rhys’ biology saved them once again. He doesn’t look at Jack when they walk into the Sheriff’s office, afraid of what he would see. Would Jack shoot him? Would he be able to shoot his mate if they were bonded? Alphas don’t feel the bond the way Omegas do. Omegas feel hints of the Alphas emotions, some are even able to tell how far the Alpha is from them, but Alphas only feel a faint sparkle telling them that their Omega is alive. When the sparkle disappears, most aren’t even sad. Would Jack be sad?

“Here, it’s yours,” the Sheriff, a Beta – as Rhys finally learns – gives Jack some device. “Don’t forget about our deal, John.”

“It’s Jack,” the Alpha snarls after him, but he is already gone.

Rhys expects a call to be made, but instead, Jack puts the device away, coming to stand in front of him. “You alright, kiddo?” He nods. “You sure?” Another nod. “Rhys, this is probably the last time you can speak freely. Don’t you want to say something?” Jack doesn’t sound impatient, only exhausted.

“Would you shoot me?” Rhys asks. He hates how stupidly crushed he sounds. This is a business deal, right?

“Never, dumdum,” Jack shakes his head. “I… You know I didn’t mean any of the things I said, right?”

Rhys knows, somewhere deep inside. But they are— “But they are true.”

Jack sighs, closing the distance between them. He gently nudges Rhys’ chin up, forcing him to look at the Alpha. “You are more than a slave, Rhys. I’m sure you are _at least_ thirty percent Alpha. If there is an Omega that will not take shit from anyone, it’s you. You just need to learn to work around your nature, with it, not against it. And I know you will make it.”

“How do you know?” he asks. “You know what they will do to me.”

“Well, you will either win this battle, or live the rest of your life surrounded by children and rich Alphas. Wasn’t that what you said you wanted?”

“I don’t know what to want anymore,” the Omega sighs. He puts his arms around Jack’s neck, burying his nose in the Alpha’s neck to get as much of the familiar, safe scent as possible. “But I’ll fight for it to the last breath anyway.”

“That’s the spirit, champ!” Jack kisses his temple. “Like I said, little Alpha.”

But this nice moment they are sharing must end, and so, Jack makes the call. He shamelessly sits in the Sheriff’s chair while he demands Rhys’ family to be contacted. When the voice of Rhys’ father sounds from the speaker, Jack beckons Rhys to sit in his lap with a gesture, and the young Omega obeys like a good bondmate would.

“Rhys? My boy, are you alright? What are you doing among those bandits?” his father asks, frantically gesturing to someone outside of the screen. The man looks nothing like Rhys, his hair blonde and eyes green. The Omega took after his dad mainly.

“Oh, you know, the usual things,” Jack speaks behind him. “Having fun, making new friends.” He takes Rhys’ hair again, this time gently, but to the people on the other side of the call it must look harsh anyway, and tilts Rhys’ head to the side.

“You son of a bitch!” his father snarls. “What have you done to my Omega?!” _~~Didn’t you use to call me son?~~_

“Hey, what can I say? It was fun, and it kept us safe. He wouldn’t be here if I didn’t do this. And he is still a virgin, if you are worried.” They agreed to lie, but Rhys is glad that Jack took it upon himself.

“What do you want?” his ~~owner~~ father snarls.

“I see you are catching up,” Jack says playfully. “I want a million dollars and a shuttle off this planet and somewhere safe. Then, I will state no claim on your Omega, I will leave you all alone and forget about this. You can cut his bonding gland out and do whatever. I’ll sign the papers if you decide to do it on one of those nice planets, and I’ll close my eyes if it’s somewhere less nice.” Probably subconsciously, Jack grips the armrest of the chair, pulling the Omega closer with the other hand. “Do we have a deal?”

“Million is too much,” the other Alpha growls. It doesn’t have any effect on Jack.

“Oh please! I know how much pretty things like Rhysie here sell for for just one night, yet alone to be bred. You will have the money back in no time.” He pauses, making sure they got his point. “Deal? Or I guess I can go to town and sell him to horny bandits for as long as I need to get off this planet…”

Rhys shivers, but Jack presses his nose to his bonding gland soothingly, and this time it has exactly the desired effect, and he melts in the Alpha’s lap. His father must have seen it, because he roars, smashes something, but then he agrees. “We have a deal. The shuttle will be there in ten minutes.”

The line cuts off abruptly as Rhys’ father breaks the streaming device, and both men relax in the chair. Rhys is the first to speak. “We are getting out,” he notes.

“Yes, we are,” Jack agrees, pressing kisses to his skin everywhere he can reach. He can allow this little ~~affection~~ fun one last time.

They share warmth for a few minutes until it’s time to go out to the town square, waiting for an elegant silver shuttle to land. Rhys trembles by Jack’s side when he sees ten Alphas step out, two of them being his parents, the rest his guards. It’s a foretaste of what will come – more security, less freedom, the surgery… He hugs Jack, and the older man says _good Omega_ loud enough so the delegacy hears them.

Rhys smells anger in the air around his parents and calmness and safety in Jack, and his nature tells him to hide in the good Alpha’s arms. It helps their act of a bonded pair greatly, but it’s not what he is going for. He just wants to feel safe one last time.

“Get in the shuttle,” his father snarls. He throws a suitcase that lands right by Jack’s feet and opens, revealing a lot of money. One million. Not even Rhys had ever seen so much in one place.

“On your command, pal,” Jack smirks. He takes some of the money, tosses it at the Sheriff, and then, with one arm around Rhys’ waist, follows the Alphas inside.

“He sits next to me,” his mother tries to command them, but it only makes Jack laugh as he pushes the Omega into a seat between him and a wall.

“You will have enough of him when you drop me off on Elpis. I read about some interesting thing there I’d like to look into.”

The shuttle takes off and silence spreads in the room. The parents are both seething, the guards are tense and ready for fight, Rhys whimpers occasionally, because the room is full of angry Alpha scent, and Jack is the only one calm. He pulls Rhys close, makes him hide his face in the Alpha’s chest and escape the other scents. Even now, he treats him right.

They land on Elpis soon, and Jack gets up. Rhys knew this is coming, and he curls himself into a ball as much as the straps on the seat allow. Jack doesn’t look at him again, not wanting to make it worse for them.

He grins at everybody as he marches out of the shuttle with the suitcase, giving Rhys’ father a two-finger salute over his shoulder. “Oh,” he calls as the door begin to close, “almost forgot to say – the scar is fake. So, be nice to him!”

And then the Alpha is gone from Rhys’ life. He can see his father from the corner of his eyes, slowly turning around to look at him. “The scar is fake…” he says, his voice shaking with repressed anger. “Can you tell me, _son_ , why did you act like it wasn’t? Why did you help him?”

 _Little Alpha_ , sounds in his head. “Guess I just liked him,” he shrugs, not even flinching when the Alpha roars.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please, please, please, tell me what you think about it. :) Next chapter on Sunday!


	2. Chapter 2

Five years after escaping Pandora, Handsome Jack is a thing. A big thing. Bigger than life kind of thing.

On Elpis, he managed to open a Vault, gaining access to the knowledge stored in it. It came with a price, but what is one scar next to a Vault treasure?

With leftover money, he started a company and called it Hyperion, as the Vault told him to do. His knowledge of how to use Eridium for military purposes, when to expect the market to drop or raise, when to expect assassination attempts on himself, it all came from the Vault, his sure key to success. Eventually, he managed to even take Pandora by storm, with more Vaults, but even being the most powerful man in the universe, he wasn’t… happy. He lacked something.

By his advisors he was suggested to travel, have holiday. His doctor mentioned signs of a mid-life crisis, but he was just past thirty! Still, he listened to them, occasionally leaving Hyperion to his most loyal and trusty body double.

He travelled the universe. On his first trip, Jack visited every known inhabited galaxy. To be accurate, he had a drink in every galaxy. On his second trip, he had sex in every galaxy, and on the third, he went to an orgy in every galaxy. Then it got boring.

The next round of Jack’s travels were adventures. Planets filled with lava, dangerous creatures, asteroid belts where his ship avoided being hit by mere inches. Soon, he realised that this is not for him, because a vacation where he is risking his life isn’t a real vacation.

Eventually, Jack settled on visiting a different exotic planet every month, spending a three-day weekend and then returning with either a tan, frostbite, Hungover with capital _H_ , or a chaffed dick. Sometimes a wild combination of all of it.

He never visited the same place twice, and he knew that even if he lives up to one hundred, he won’t be able to visit even 0.001% of the interesting places he could. And he liked it, he liked the lottery of it. Some vacations turned out to be boring, some made him consider returning. Sometimes he discovered novelties that helped Hyperion grow even more, and sometimes he didn’t even remember where he went, just that they had great alcohol and his head is gonna explode now.

Jack lived a good life, but something was missing. But after four divorces, he gave up searching.

* * *

Right now, Jack was visiting a _wild_ planet. There was no other way to describe the party than wild. _Lit_.

It wasn’t even a planet. It was an asteroid hidden away from the rest of the world in a belt in a solar system with no habitable planet. To learn about this place, you had to have a lot of connections, and Jack soon understood all the fuss. Because this place was wild.

Upon entering the party, a cold clear drink landed in his hand, a not too strong one. Where the drink was lacking, the loud music finished the job. Soon, Jack was swaying and dancing with random Alphas, Betas and Omegas. No differences seemed to be in this community.

A lot of people had tattoos, and Jack watched them all in awe, one more interesting than another. His wrist tattoo seemed funny and cheap compared to all the people around him. He recognised fake Siren markings, wild flowers seeming to bloom on people’s chests, shapes and shadows diffusing into each another, creating art on all the uncovered skin.

One particular Omega caught his eyes. There were three circles on their neck where a bonding gland should be. Like a target, challenging the Alpha to bite right there. Their blonde hair was pulled into a ponytail on the other side of their head, revealing all of the tattoo. But before Jack could come close and maybe invite them for a drink, another person caught his eyes.

There _He_ was.

In denim shorts so revealing that the milky-white globes of his ass could be seen and a crop top that only really covered his nipples, not the blue tattoo on his chest, nor the same three circles on his neck. His pale skin had shapes and flowers painted on it with fluorescent paint, making him look exotic like the drinks that are served here. Feathers and beads are woven into his hair to really underline the look. One short sleeve of his top covers where his shoulder turns into a cybernetic arm, undoubtedly hiding scars, and Jack wouldn’t recognise him for the man he was if their eyes didn’t meet. One blue, shining, but the other one brown and warm.

“Rhys…” he whispered, the sound lost in the blaring music.

At first, the Omega looked scared, but then he smiled wildly and excused himself from the party he was dancing with. “Jack!” he called as he jumped into his arms, the Alpha picking him up and spinning him around without hesitance. “Jack, oh my God! I thought I will never see you again!”

“I’m happy to see you too, pumpkin,” the Alpha said as he carefully lowered the man on the ground again. “Can I buy you a drink?”

Rhys hesitated again, but only for a second. “Of course! Here, I’ll take you to a bar where we don’t need to wait in a line…” He took his arm and pulled him through the crowd.

They went outside, to one of the fake beaches. Most of the asteroid was rocks and the rest was ice, but it was really wild, so of course they had fake beaches! True to Rhys’ word, the place was almost empty, and they got their drinks immediately. Rhys something sweet and emitting blue hue, and Jack the same clear alcohol he drank before.

“So, this is where you’ve been hiding?” Jack asks, sipping his drink. “Seems like a nice place.” He watches sand seep into his sandals, tickling his bare feet. It was warm, probably some of the super expensive and modern technology this place needed to use o even exist.

“Yeah, I like it. A little expensive, but safe. And the people are nice,” Rhys hums. “But let’s not talk about past. What about the present?” his tone changes, making Jack look up.

What he sees almost makes him drop his drink. Rhys’ eyes convey hunger, lust, and it awakes something in Jack, reminding him of the desire he squashed the second his foot touched Elpis. He _wants_ this Omega, even after all these years. Especially after them.

They didn’t say anything else before their lips connected in a hungry kiss, Rhys’ sweet and fruity, Jack’s bitter. Glasses fell to the ground, hands wandering each other’s body. Finally, Jack picked the Omega up, letting him wrap his legs around him. “Where?” he growled into his neck as he kissed and nipped there.

“I know a place,” Rhys breathed, shuddering in his arms. Jack let him down, and he was once again being pulled away, though not far. Among the palms and bushes on the other side of the beach, there was a small clearing, hidden away from the world. There was one hammock, a place to make fire, and a blanket on the ground, nothing else. Rhys pushed Jack on the blanket before he could ask.

“Don’t say anything,” Rhys whispered into his skin as he kissed down the Alpha’s chest, opening his shirt button by button at the same time. When he reached his pants, he opened them too, pulling out Jack’s rapidly filling cock. “Can I?” he asked with a playful grin, his hot breath touching the head of the dick.

“God, yes, kitten!” Jack groaned, and then an even less dignified sound escaped him as Rhys took him all the way in in one go. His throat constricted around the length, and he choked once, but then he regained his posture and pulled off slowly.

“Forgot how big you are,” Rhys whispered, blushing a little. He took him in again, bobbing his head in a maddening rhythm.

“Fuck!” Jack groaned. “Let me have you. Rhys, let me have you.”

Before he even finished speaking, Rhys was sitting back and striping the crop top. Jack quickly got rid of his own clothes and then helped Rhys pull the shorts down. No underwear, of course. “You little minx,” he growled into his skin, a foreign surge of possessiveness telling him that his Omega was going to fuck somebody else.

When he tossed the small piece of clothing aside, a tube rolled out of one of the pockets. “Even brought lube? Are you on a hunt, kitten?” he asked teasingly, taking the lube and coating his fingers. With the other hand he pushed the Omega down on his stomach. Rhys moaned and Jack chuckled. “You know, it’s rare to see an Omega take initiative in bed like you did, but I guess you still like being bossed around, right?” To test it, he harshly pushed Rhys’ legs open, earning another low moan. “That’s why you bring lube? You hope a stranger will manhandle you, push you to the ground?” he growled as he pushed two fingers in without another preamble.

“Oooh, Jack!” Rhys moaned again, pushing his hips back even though it must’ve hurt. “I— I bring lube,” he panted, “because I don’t get slick easily. It comes, ah, in handy. But _I_ am the one who-who decides who I sleep with!” The end of his speech is drowned in a litany of _yes_ , _there_ , _more!_

Jack didn’t intend on spending much time on the prepping, but the realisation that Rhys indeed was very tight and not nearly enough slick made him pause. He slowed down his motions, stretching him carefully. He will do it right this time.

“Wh-what are you doing?” Rhys looked at him over his shoulder. He tried to move his hips and urge Jack on, but a warning slap from the Alpha had him stopping obediently.

“I don’t want to hurt you, pumpkin. Not like last time…”

Rhys mewled, and stilled the tiniest rock of his hips completely. A choked laugh escaped him, a little hysteric. “You’ve always been too nice for someone who claimed to only be taking advantage of me.”

“You’ve always been talking back too much,” Jack retorted with another light slap, ignoring the… What was it even? A compliment?

The Omega managed to calm down for long enough for Jack to be satisfied with the prepping. Then, he reminded Jack of his little Alpha part by suddenly turning around and pushing him back. In a whirl of arms and legs, Jack was suddenly on his back, the Omega straddling him.

“I choose who I fuck,” Rhys reminded him with a smirk as he sunk on Jack’s length.

The next minutes were a fight for dominance. Jack didn’t put nearly enough strength into it, only enough so his ego remained unhurt. Rhys, on the other hand, didn’t hesitate to use the cybernetic arm to hold the Alpha’s wrists together above his head, leaving faint bruises. Jack responded by snapping his hips up viciously, bringing the Omega to orgasm. Rhys collected a bit of his come from the Alpha’s chest and pressed the finger into Jack’s mouth, and then Jack pulled his arms free, changed the positions and pounded Rhys to the ground from behind.

Rhys came again with a shout that everybody in this dome must have heard when Jack knotted him, and then they both laid down, panting and giggling like idiots.

“This was the best sex in my life,” Jack said, lightly biting Rhys’ shoulder.

“Oh, shut up!” the Omega giggled.

Rhys soon fell asleep, satisfied, warm and safe, and Jack waited until his knot softened enough to pull out, and then he brought the younger man on the hammock and laid there with him, cradling him in his arms.

He felt… happy. In a way he wasn’t in a long time. Comparable to his first and second wedding, definitely beating the third and fourth. With this Omega, he was happy.

* * *

Rhys woke him up in the middle of the night. He sucked his cock until it was hard and then Jack fucked him braced against a tree. And another round they had in the morning. The asteroid didn’t have fake sunlight, but Rhys’ cybernetics showed them the time. Neither of them seemed to care as they fell asleep, once again knotted together.

But maybe the Omega cared, because Jack woke up to him cursing as he pulled the shorts on his cum-stained thighs. Hastily, he picked up the empty bottle of lube and pulled on the crop top.

“Going somewhere?” Jack asked, voice hoarse from sleep. He stretched and started putting clothes on too.

Rhys looked… guilty? The Alpha frowned. “What?”

“Look,” Rhys begun, and that tone alone could make a person believe that he is an Alpha had it not been for the scent of a well-fucked Omega around him. “The night was fun. Usually, I charge three thousands for a night of fun, but I think we can both agree that this was more than a simple night of fun. Ten thousand,” he all but orders, his voice only wavering a little, on the word fun.

“Are you kidding me?” Jack laughs with his eyebrows raised high, refusing to believe that this is anything but a bad joke. ~~This is _his_ Omega, damn it!~~ “What do you think of me, kitten?”

“That you are too rich for your own good, and I need money for rent and m— Rent,” Rhys answers without missing a beat, still keeping a posture worth an Alpha.

“Pick a cheaper place, if you can’t afford yours,” Jack growls, growing annoyed. “I’m not paying you a cent.”

Rhys doesn’t back off when Jack stands up, gaining the advantage of towering above the Omega. If anything, he just raises to his tiptoes. “I would be able to afford a better place if you didn’t bite my neck, knothead!” he hisses. It’s only him who winces at the word, Jack being used to it, while Rhys bites his lip, looking almost guilty. But the fire remains.

“Do you know what this tattoo is, huh?” he asks, snarling right into Jack’s face. “Nobody comes close to an Omega with teeth marks on their necks in this world. So, we get this done to cover the scars. But then, you become nothing but a used whore to them. I can’t get a proper paying job, because every employer wants me to spread my legs for them, and I’d rather choose who I sleep with.”

Jack growls ~~at the mention of people taking advantage od what’s his~~ at the Omega trying to intimidate him. “Then you should have came to me!” he yells, getting Rhys to pull back a little, finally.

“How could have I known that you didn’t forget about me?!” the Omega yells back, though his voice wavers.

Jack wants to retort to that, but Rhys is right. He looked for the Omega, tried to find information about him, but Rhys officially stopped existing two days after his parents got him back. He knew, he always knew he can do more, but after he opened the Vault and didn’t see Rhys in his future, he just let destiny happen, he didn’t fight it. Rhys did, apparently.

“Look, let’s forget that you wanted money from me for a while,” he suggests calmly.

“Then I need to go and look for someone else, Jack,” Rhys folds his arms on his chest. “That won’t solve anything.”

“Argh, alright! How much _exactly_ do you need for rent?”

Rhys blinks, for a second considering if it’s a trick. “Three thousand eighty,” he answers.

Sighing, Jack pulls out his wallet, giving the Omega three thousand bills and one two hundred. He breaths in to continue their talk, but Rhys beats him to it.

“I’ll tell you anything on the way to my place, what do you say?” He doesn’t wait for approval, already leaving, the money carefully folded and hidden in his back pocket.

Balling his hands into fists and groaning in frustration, Jack follows the uppity Omega. He’d found him. He isn’t going to let him run away now. ~~He needs him.~~

Jack decides to wait with their talk until they are somewhere private. Rhys, however, doesn’t head to his apartment first. He makes a stop at a pharmacy, buying cough medicine for one hundred dollars. The thought about how stupidly high the prices are here almost takes Jack’s attention away from the strange purchase. He stores the question for later; Rhys just probably wants to have something in stock for future.

They arrive to one of the worst apartment buildings in this place and ride an elevator to the second highest floor. The second Rhys puts the key into the hole, the door opens, revealing a short Beta male.

“Bro, I’m gonna be late! Where have you— Jeez, that stench! How many Alphas did you have tonight?” He doesn’t notice Jack until Rhys blushes and turns his head away from them both.

“Vaughn, I need you to leave now,” he says quietly. “Bring the money to Mr Brown on the way, please. Thank you.” He pushes the leftover money into the Beta’s hands, already pushing him towards the elevator.

“Rhys, if he beats you up like—” the Beta begins to say, eyes still fixed on the Alpha, but Rhys pinches him and he shuts up.

“I’m gonna be alright, Vaughn. Go,” he urges him.

“He is sleeping!” is the last thing this _Vaughn_ says before the elevator door closes.

Jack doesn’t wait for the Omega, and he lets himself in.

The apartment is small. Very small. Living room-slash-kitchen, a bathroom and one more room, the door closed. The sleeping whoever is probably there. But that’s not what makes the Alpha’s blood boil. Not the fact that Rhys might be in a relationship, no…

The whole room is covered by motivational posters with Jack’s face!

“You knew!” he blames, whipping around to corner the Omega as soon as he hears the door close. Rhys tries to keep his gaze, tries to face the seething Alpha, but his nature wins this time, and he lowers his head, tilting it to the side to bare his throat. His body still considers Jack his mate. But this is not gonna work on the Alpha. “You knew that I’m rich, famous and powerful, that I could help you, but you chose to whore around instead!” he hollers, uncaring about any sleeping knothead. ~~Thinking about it, there is inly an Omega and a faint Beta scent in the house, but Jack wants more reasons to be angry.~~

“Shut up!” Rhys hisses. “How could I know that you won’t kill me as soon as you see me, like an annoying part of your past?!” He gains a little of his composure back, looking unthreatened even pressed against the door.

“You know I would never hurt you,” Jack hisses back. “You knew I would want to see you again.” And the guilty look in the Omega’s eyes, the suddenly very distressed scent tells him that Rhys knew. “Why—” he begins to ask, but then he hears the other door to the room open.

“Daddy?” a thin, raspy voice asks.

Suddenly, Rhys seems to gain strength no Omega should poses, and he pushes Jack away. “It’s alright, sweetheart,” he says, voice calm and sweet. “Daddy is just talking to someo—”

“Is this my father?” the child asks.

The room stills. To Rhys, it seems to grow cold, freezing, and goosebumps appear all over his body. To Jack, it grows unsteady. He feels hot and his head spins. Looking around, he notices pictures on the fridge, all of them titled. Helios, _My Father’s Space Station. Me, Dad, Father and Uncle Vaughn. Me Working For Hyperion When I Grow Up_. The writing was probably done by Rhys, too nice for a kid, but the drawings are from the boy. Jack’s eyes fall on him.

Suddenly, Rhys springs forward, standing between the boy and Jack, hissing and so obviously ready to fight. Even his scent changes, the warning so strong that Jack takes a step back. No Alpha is stupid enough to stand between an Omega parent and a child.

“Atlas, go to your room,” Rhys says, his voice turned to something soft once more. “You should be in bed.”

“But—” the boy begins to say, but his speech is interrupted by a coughing fit. The coughing grows more and more violent until Rhys abandons his defensive position to go and hold the boy in his arms, soothing him and gently tapping his back to help him.

When it’s finally over, the boy is trembling, and Rhys is too. The room is filled with two kinds of fear, and none of it is what Jack likes. He takes another step aside when Rhys carries ~~their son~~ his son to the old sofa in the room, carefully helping him sit.

“Now, now,” he soothes. “It will be alright. I got a sweet syrup here that will make the coughing go away.”

Against his better judgement, Jack speaks up. “This needs more than a syrup, Rhys.”

The Omega whips around, hissing at him again. When he is sure that the Alpha is not threatening them, he carefully measures the drops into a cup and helps the boy swallow it. Then he carries him to the spare room again.

When he returns, he closes the door and stands in front of it, once again ready to fight Jack. Daringly, the Alpha makes a step forward, earning a growl. “He is mine, Jack,” Rhys warns him.

“Who is the father?” Jack asks calmly, taking another step. His instinct is telling him to duck and run, that this is the most danger he’d ever been in, but he can’t.

“You,” Rhys hisses. “I told him the truth. That his father is a hero, but we had to part ways. That his father owns Hyperion. Handsome Jack.” He growls more and more, and so Jack stops, one meter in front of him.

“Tell me what happened, Rhys,” he speaks calmly, ignoring the hair on his body prickling.

Rhys hesitates, but then he throws his head towards the couch. When Jack sits down, he starts pacing in front of him, only four steps and then he has to turn around, the apartment being too small.

“They planned the operation, not wanting to risk the situation repeating. Doctor found out that I’m pregnant, and father disowned me. My _mother_ had a better idea.” He spits the word like it was poisonous. “She wanted to do it anyway. To get their money back. She wanted to—” he stops abruptly, shuddering. “She wanted to end the pregnancy. But Atlas is _mine_ , they couldn’t take him from me!”

Jack shudders, never before seeing this much fight and rage in an Omega, only hearing tales of what they are capable of doing for their children.

“I ran. I stole money and ran. Slept with the pilot of my parents’ private shuttle and cried the whole night, but then I was free. I got lucky, met a party of people travelling here, and they took me with them. After Atlas was born, I met Vaughn, and while he was looking after him, I volunteered to get the cybernetics, getting us some money. But when it ran out, I had to start living like this,” he gestures towards his body, still covered in not nearly enough clothes.

Jack’s brain works a little slow, and he takes a minute to comprehend it while Rhys still paces around. He has a son. An Omega son, if the scents in the house are a hint. Rhys fought and almost won. But now the kid needs medical help, and the Omega won’t let him help.

“I want to help,” he says, voice but a whisper. He is overwhelmed by the warm feeling spreading in his chest when he thinks about _his son_. “Let me help.”

Rhys stops. He looks at Jack for a long time, contemplating him. Then, he turns away. “What do you want in return?” he asks.

And Jack can’t lie to this Omega, not Rhys. “I want to take you to Helios. I want you. Not your body, _you_. The Alpha-Omega.”

Pained expression flashes on Rhys face, then longing, but then he shakes his head. “Atlas is mine. You can’t take him from me.”

“I’m not taking—”

“You can’t, Jack!” Rhys suddenly yells, breathing hard. He is shaking all over, sweat on his face and expression resembling a feral Alpha more than some submitting Omega.

Jack is not sure what is going on, but he doesn’t like it. “Rhys, calm down…” he says, standing up. “I don’t want to separate you from your son. He needs medical help, and you will get that on Helios.” Step forward; a growl from the Omega. “You can stay by his side the whole time. I won’t touch him once if you don’t want to.” Another step, another growl. “Just let me help.”

Rhys opens his mouth to say something, his feral expression hinting that it won’t be anything nice, but at the same time, Jack makes the last step, pressing the Omega to a wall, one hand going to protect himself from the cybernetic arm flying at his face, the other going to Rhys’ neck and pressing at the bonding gland he knows exactly where it is.

Rhys’ cry quickly turns into a mewl and he goes still. He shoots Jack a death glare before his face morphs into something resembling arousal, but his scent is pure fear.

“I’m sorry,” Jack whispers, looking over his shoulder to make sure the door to the other room is still closed. “You need to calm down, Rhys. I’m not taking Atlas from you.” He applies a little bit more of pressure for a second and then lets go. Rhys doesn’t resist when he is picked up and carried to the couch where the Alpha sits with him.

“I’ll take you home, Rhysie,” he says, stroking his bare back, meeting sand, dirt and what are probably the remains of the fluorescent paint. “You will be safe with me. I will take good care of you, give you anything you want. Just let me help…”

* * *

Rhys comes to fifteen minutes later, and the first thing he does is clutching the Alpha’s shirt and bringing him closer. He inhales the calming, familiar scent he missed so, so much and lets Jack rock and soothe him once again.

“Are you feeling better?” Jack asks, his voice reverberating through his chest.

Rhys nods, too exhausted to do more.

“Good. Wanna take a shower? Do you have a shower?”

Snorting, Rhys pulls himself up. “Yeah, I do.” He slips out of the Alpha’s grasp and heads to the bathroom, but he stops abruptly when his eyes meet the door to the other room. He can’t leave his child alone.

As if sensing his thoughts, Jack says: “Rhys, I won’t hurt him. I won’t do anything. I promise, just go and take a shower.”

The Omega contemplates his options, eyes flicking between the door, the bathroom and the Alpha. Finally, he decides: “You come with me.”

Jack is too tired to argue with the Omega, and so he walks to the bathroom. He can’t stop himself from peeking into the room when Rhys opens the door to check on his son. Atlas is sleeping in the bed, clutching one plush toy.

Rhys scowls at him when he notices where Jack is looking, but he relaxes once they enter the bathroom. It’s a tiny room, but the shower is big enough for two. And sharing a shower seems to be what Rhys has in mind when he winks at Jack and starts stripping. When the Alpha is removed from his child’s proximity, he seems to be the old self.

The Alpha doesn’t expect the Omega to basically jump at him and kiss him as soon as the water starts to fall, but he gains his composure back soon and takes control over the situation. He presses Rhys back to the titled wall, ignoring his shivers when he gets out of the reach of the water. He kisses him back and touches every part of his body, meeting slick on his ass that he knows is full of his come, and something animalistic urges him to take the Omega again.

But Jack is not an animal, and so it stays at kissing and touching. He knows he can’t leave marks on the Omega, not yet, and they can’t take more than a few minutes in the shower, but he makes the most out of the few minutes, leaving Rhys shivering and panting.

When they are both clean and finally let go of each other, Jack leans his head back to let some of the water fall into his mouth, because the last thing he drank was alcohol.

“The water is not drinkable, Jack,” Rhys warns him, and Jack spits it out. “Sorry, should have mentioned it earlier.”

“I’m taking you both off this rock,” Jack decides. “Now. I can’t— How— Freakin’ hell, you should have contacted me, Rhys!”

The Omega looks away, shame and anger mixing in his face. “Life is not that easy, Jack. You came here to party. I came to save my son.”

“Our son,” Jack corrects.

Rhys tenses up again, hissing. “ _My_ son.”

Thinking that it’s not a fight he can win now, Jack dresses in his clothes again, while Rhys puts on a bathrobe and disappears into the bedroom, coming back dressed in an old stretched t-shirt and jeans with holes that are just holes, not a fashion statement. To Jack’s surprise, he is holding Atlas in his arms.

The Omega looks guarded but determined. Stubborn, Jack would say. “Atlas, I want you to meet someone… This,” he pauses for a second, “this is Jack, your-your father.”

“Hi!” the boy waves his hand at Jack, smiling sweetly.

“Hi, Atlas,” Jack answers, also smiling. Slowly, he comes closer, not touching, but enough so Atlas could reach out and touch him if he wanted. But the boy turns shy when the Alpha’s scent reaches him, and he hides in his dad’s arms.

Rhys chuckles, but it’s obvious that he is relieved that the boy didn’t decide to be curious in the way he holds him tighter. When Atlas gets another coughing fit, both parents reach out to help him, but Rhys steps away from Jack quickly, crouching on the floor to help Atlas sit and tapping his back.

Unable to stand and not do anything, Jack takes a risk and crouches behind the Omega. He doesn’t reach for the boy but instead rubs the dad’s shoulders. When the fit is gone, Rhys relaxes into the touch.

The main door opens. All three heads turn to the newcomer, Atlas being the first one to talk.

“Uncle! Look who is here!” he calls, his voice raspy and coming out too quiet.

The Beta doesn’t pay attention to the boy, however, once again fixing his eyes on Jack. “R-Rhys, I-I just realised that it’s-it’s him!” he points a finger on Jack, and then on one of the posters.

“Great observation, short stuff,” Jack huffs.

“Vaughn, did you come here only to tell me something I obviously know?” Rhys asks with a raised eyebrow.

“Well, no,” the Beta shifts. “Mostly because I lost the job. Not for coming late!” he assures his friend quickly. “But because of Gill. She must’ve slept with the boss, and she didn’t like me, so I’m jobless now. Also, holly cow, Rhys!” he gestures towards the three on the floor. “I think I missed something.”

“You did,” the Omega laughs.

They all sit in the living room, Rhys with Atlas in his lap on the floor, Jack next to him, leaving the Beta on the couch. Rhys explains what happened in short, leaving out anything the young boy shouldn’t hear, even though he falls asleep soon.

“So, you are leaving?” the Beta asks when the story is over.

“Yes, they are,” Jack answers before Rhys can, earning a glare.

“What do you think you are doing?!” Rhys hisses. “You don’t own me, you can’t—”

“Atlas can’t stay here, and you know it,” Jack interrupts him. He is too sure of himself for the Omega’s liking. “Shuttle is waiting.”

“Then, we are coming,” Rhys says. “We all.”

It takes a second to click, but then Jack frowns. “You mean him too? Why?”

“Because Vaughn helped me a lot, I owe him, and he is my friend. He is coming with us.” Rhys is pure determination, ready to fight. Had it not been for the sleeping kid in his arms, he would probably be standing up, trying to intimidate the Alpha.

“You do realise that you got no ground to stand on, right?” Jack asks. It’s a principle to not let some stupid Beta near his Omegas. He is ready to fight too.

“Really now?” Rhys singsongs. “And what will you do, _Alpha_? Force us to board the ship? Kill my packmate? Force Atlas to love you?”

And so, Jack realises that this Omega has _all the ground_ to stand on. _His_ Alpha-Omega, that stubborn bastard. “Okay, you—” Before he can even finish the curse on his mouth, something hits him in the head. A pillow, from the couch.

“No swearing in front of Atlas,” the Beta frowns at him, and Rhys hums approvingly. “But, for real… Can I go with you? I don’t like this place anymore. It’s hell that looks like a sweet paradise.”

“Yes, yes, whatever the Alpha-Omega wants!” Jack grumbles. “Any more passengers I should know about?”

Vaughn laughs. “Alpha-Omega is the most fitting thing somebody ever said about Rhys. That will stick, bro,” he promises.

Rhys is not done yet. “I want a job. We both do. Vaughn studied to be an accountant, and I—” suddenly, he looks away, blushing, “I’m good with computers.” His face tells that it’s not the full story, but that’s okay for now.

“Good, wish granted,” Jack rolls his eyes. “What else?”

“That’s all,” Rhys smiles.

“Finally! Now, pack your things, we are leaving.”

Jack is on his feet immediately, urging the two to do the same, but as soon as he comes close to Rhys, he gets yet another warning growl. In the end, Rhys lets Vaughn hold the boy while he packs, keeping the Alpha close.

Jack takes a good look around the small bedroom, noting only five toys, all of which Rhys packs first. The kid’s pile of clothes is bigger than his dad’s, but it doesn’t look much better. It’s probably second-hand and old. Apart from a bed, a soft rug and one small wardrobe, there is nothing in the room, not even a nightstand.

He follows the Omega to the bathroom, watching him pack away medicine from the cabinet. He would think nothing of it if he didn’t recognise common heat suppressants among them. “Rhysie, you are going to have to stop taking that shit,” he says.

Rhys tenses up a little, but then he nods. “Okay, Jack. Just… give me enough time?”

Time probably meaning getting used to things, making sure Atlas is alright, getting a reliable babysitter for him. “Sure, babe,” Jack hums, kissing the younger man’s temple. _Mine_ , the Alpha in him screams. _Mine to take, breed and mark._

When everything they need is packed, it barely fills one duffle bag. Rhys doesn’t take much clothes when Jack promises to get them new, better fitting, and they don’t have anything else. Vaughn is packed in few minutes too, also not owning much. Atlas is wrapped in a blanket in his dad’s arms, a little distressed from everything happening around him.

Jack leads them to the shuttle bay, all the time staying as close to the Omega as he is allowed. He knows that he will gain his trust soon, but still gives the boy an occasional longing glance.

“It took me three months to earn that privilege,” Vaughn speaks behind him. “I was allowed to hold him for five seconds before Rhys panicked. If that makes you feel better…”

“No, it doesn’t,” grumbles the Alpha.

They board the shuttle, Jack’s things already loaded by his men. Rhys gently shakes Atlas awake so he can watch the take-off from a window, and also so he can drink some liquid general antibiotics from the ship’s first-aid-kit. They are sitting on two seats, Rhys in the open, Atlas between him and the wall, safe from anyone. Jack is sitting next to them on the other side and Vaughn in front of them.

“Look, Atlas,” Jack hears Rhys quietly say, “you were born here. Now we are going to a better place. It will be full of robots and cool stuff!”

Soon after take-off, Rhys falls asleep. He is still curled around the boy, even in his sleep, but Atlas wiggles free a little, looking around the ship with curious eyes and a thumb in his mouth. When his eyes meet the Alpha’s, he hides behind his dad.

Jack watches the boy peek out from behind his sleeping dad multiple times before he gathers courage and slips from the seat, slowly walking towards him. The Alpha’s scent is not dangerous to him anymore, finding it on his dad before, and maybe even on himself.

“Hi,” Jack whispers. “How do you like the ship?”

“It’s cool!” Atlas says loudly, oblivious to his sleeping dad. “Did you build it?”

“No,” Jack answers, chuckling. The boy surely got his father’s innocent soul. “But I built the space station we are going to live in. Well, technically, my robots built it, but they followed my plans.”

“That’s cool!” Atlas chimes. “And will—”

Rhys’ panicked scream startles them all, even attracting one of the guards from the other room of the shuttle. “Atlas?! Where—?!”

“I’m here, dad!” the boy runs to him, climbing in his lap and rubbing his cheek on Rhys’, calming him with his scent instinctively. “I’m sorry,” he mutters, sounding sad, and that gets Rhys to calm down immediately and soothe his son, telling him that it’s alright, there is never anything bad about curiosity.

Rhys doesn’t let his son out of his lap for another ten minutes, scenting his hair and face to make sure everything is alright, he is right there. Then, he hesitantly lets him down again, watching as the boy decides if he wants to see his uncle, his father, or something else. Ha wanders towards Jack again.

“Can I sit with you?” he asks.

“Of course,” Jack smiles. He takes his jacket off and wraps it around the boy before he picks him up and sits him on his lap, aware of the rather cold air there. He watches the boy carefully sniff, tasting the scent around him. When he deems it safe, he presses his cheek against Jack’s chest, getting his own scent on the Alpha.

Jack is aware of Rhys carefully watching them, and so he doesn’t dare to do much more than to support the boy with one hand, so he doesn’t wiggle out of his lap and fall. He would like to, though. He wants to scent his hair like Rhys did, to learn what his new family smells like, to leave some of his Alpha scent on them, to make sure nobody dares to approach them. But testing the dad’s patience might earn him some painful scratches and bitemarks, or death, if the legends about Omegas are true.

Mindlessly, he looks down to his hand. The three white spots that remained for some time after the Omega bit him are long gone, but he still remembers Rhys’ will to fight even when cornered by an Alpha.

When Atlas falls asleep, Rhys comes to sit in the seat next to Jack, unwilling to be that far away. He falls asleep too, and it’s up to Vaughn to bring over the blanket and throw it around Rhys’ shoulders so he doesn’t lose too much warmth.

Jack stays awake, looking after his newfound family.

* * *

Rhys never leaves Atlas’ side for more than half a minute while he stays in the hospital bay on Helios. Vaughn tries to lure him out, to make him sleep, but the Omega had never let so many people around his son, and so the only reason he allows himself to leave is toilet. Eventually, Vaughn gives up, deciding to go to his new apartment and get ready for his new job.

Jack comes to watch the two sharing one bed occasionally, but he doesn’t come into the room, not wanting to stress the Omega further. It’s only two days until Atlas is released, the lung infection basically gone under the touch of modern medicine, and then it’s his time to shine.

Rhys carries Atlas in his arms the whole way to the penthouse, his eyes darting left and right, checking his surroundings for any predators. Once they enter the penthouse, it gets better, which pleases Jack. When Rhys makes sure nothing dangerous is in reach, he lets Atlas walk around on his own.

Jack’s inner Alpha is pleased when he sees the boy running around, discovering everything and asking so many questions. What is it behind the window? Why is this thing glowing? Why do you use a flower as a lamp? Where is the cookie jar? Why don’t you have a cookie jar? Where is our old cookie jar? What’s for dinner? How do you open such a big fridge? The door must weight billion tons!

Jack and Rhys answer his questions as best as they can, helping Atlas reach anything he is interested in. Well, Rhys is helping; Jack is not allowed again, but that’s alright.

The Alpha makes chicken and rice for dinner, something easy for the boy who is still coughing occasionally. After they eat, both the boy and his dad cleaning their plates perfectly, Rhys bathes Atlas and helps him put on pyjamas that Jack already bought for him. It’s blue and has robots on it, and the boy falls in love with it.

“Now, would you like to see your room, Atlas?” Jack asks.

The boy nods, running towards his father, stopping before he could jump to his arms. He looks over his shoulder at Rhys, making sure it’s alright, and when he receives a nod, he lets himself be picked up.

The room is perfect for a little Omega, Rhys must admit that. Everything is in light, soft colours, there is a soft rug covering the whole floor, soft lights and a lot of pillows and blankets on the bed. There is also a little sofa for Atlas to play on, placed just so he could build a nest behind it if he felt like hiding. A small desk with a chair, so he can draw, and a wardrobe. His old toys are waiting on the bed with one new – a loader bot plush.

Atlas is too excited to go to bed for some time, and Rhys forces himself to leave the room, leaving the Alpha to look after him while he takes shower. A test, he tells himself. One he accomplishes, even though it’s the fastest shower he ever had.

When he comes back, clad in pyjama pants and a fluffy bathrobe, Atlas is sleeping in Jack’s arms. “He fell asleep while we were watching Elpis out of the window,” Jack explains in a whisper.

Rhys’ heart aches at the sight, torn between wanting to rip the boy out of the Alpha’s arms and melt right where he stands, happy that the family is together. In the end, he decides to gently take Atlas and carry him to bed. Then, he hesitates, looking up at Jack.

“You can stay here,” the Alpha says as if reading his mind. “My bedroom is the opposite, if you two need anything. Sleep well, kitten.”

Rhys lets out a breath he held and lays next to his son, curling around him protectively and keeping him warm. They have heated blankets, but he likes to make sure his boy isn’t cold, and that he is safe in this dangerous world.

* * *

Rhys wakes up some time later, feeling suddenly too awake to go to sleep again, even though he spent two, three days barely sleeping. Something pulls him towards his Alpha, telling him to go and find him. He writes it off to yet another fucked up part of his biology, but he obeys nevertheless, leaving Atlas with his toys.

His feet make no sound as he creeps into the master bedroom. Jack is snoring lightly, the sound making the Omega chuckle, which in the end wakes the Alpha up.

“Pumpkin? Do you need anything?” he asks, rubbing sleep out of his eyes.

Rhys doesn’t know. He is not sure what pulled him here, but he knows that he belongs here, and so he climbs into the bed next to Jack without saying a word. He lets the strong scent engulf him, sighing.

Soon, another weird sensation joins the first, and Rhys feels his bonding gland tingling. He whimpers, reaches out to touch it, but Jack pulls his hand away and puts his own there. “It’s swollen,” he hums.

“Why?” Rhys asks. His voice is strange, high and whiny.

“I think your body wants to bond, sugar,” Jack says with a shrug. “You have a kid, a home, an Alpha wrapped around your little finger… It’s natural.”

“Oh,” is all Rhys can say. He is not sure what to do now, and so he looks up at Jack expectantly, letting him to decide.

The Alpha chuckles, enjoying the sudden submissiveness. If only Rhys was always this easy and not stubborn. He leans in and kisses him, his hand lightly massaging the slightly swollen nerve. “Get on your hands an knees, sweetheart,” he gently orders. When Rhys hesitates, he adds: “I’m not gonna bond you tonight, but I want to have you.”

Smiling briefly, Rhys obeys, positioning himself on hands and knees. He shivers when cold air touches his skin as Jack throws his blanket away. The Alpha doesn’t hesitate before pulling the Omega’s pants down.

“You are beautiful,” he breaths out, his eyes looking at the body once more. It changed a little, but not enough at the same time. If anything, Rhys lost some weight, not gained. There is a white scar on his back, just under the ribs, that looks suspiciously like a cut. His hair is longer, falling into his face.

Jack changes his mind, needing to see Rhys, and so he pushes him on his back. “Arms up,” he obeys, smirking at the immediate response. He gently brushes some hair from Rhys’ forehead and then looks at the rest of his body.

Mainly, the beautiful face, curious eyes and pupils blown wide with want. Pink lips that beg him to be touched, and Jack does just so, kissing Rhys until he is panting and pulling away. He studies the tattoo on his neck, briefly thinking about how nice it will be to bite, leave his mark on both the pale neck and the black tattoos. Then he looks lower, at the tattooed chest, pink nipples.

“Did you have milk?” he asks curiously, uncaring if such a personal question is a mood breaker.

Rhys shakes his head. “Only a little, for a few days. I was probably in too much stress.”

Guilt of an unknown source hits Jack, instincts telling him that he should have been there and taken care of his Omega. How can anybody not listen to those instincts and do the things to Omegas that they wanted to do to Rhys is beyond belief to him. He kisses Rhys again, as if to say sorry, and then he continues his examination.

He finds another fading scar on his left pec, and another on his stomach, both smaller than the one on the back. Rhys’ stomach is still soft as it used to be, almost no traces after carrying a baby but for a few faint stretch marks.

This time, it’s like Rhys can read his mind, or maybe he just heard this question one too many times. “Atlas was a small baby, born a few weeks too soon. I didn’t gain much weight; I was already struggling with money and had barely enough food. That’s why I look how I look…” He sounds almost remorseful about that.

“Do you want to get big with a pup again?” Jack asks, nosing the soft stomach and earning a gasp. “Mmm, I take it as a yes, then.”

Finally, he can’t take his own teasing anymore, and he reaches into the nightstand for lube. Rhys spreads his legs, almost whimpering in growing arousal. Then he suddenly stills and frowns.

“What’s wrong, baby?” Jack asks, ready to soothe his Omega’s worries. The air doesn’t betray distress, however. Neither does Rhys’ blush.

The younger man turns away, hiding his red cheeks from Jack. “I-I don’t know… I think I-I,” he stammers, blushing even more until he can’t take the hot feeling of his face anymore and he hides it in his hands. “I think I got slick,” he says quietly. “I don’t— I don’t even remember ever getting slick without a lot of help.”

Jack raises his eyebrows, and then he smirks. “Well, I guess I can help you anyway,” he says, already lowering himself and putting Rhys’ thighs on his shoulders.

“What do you— _Ohmygod!_ ” Rhys almost squeaks when he feels the Alpha’s tongue on his hole, teasing at the tight muscle and _tasting his slick_. He moans, muffling the sound with one hand.

The Alpha plays with him at first, teasing until Rhys is begging. When he finally pushes his tongue in, he is sure Rhys is close to an orgasm, and the real fun hasn’t even begun yet. Jack licks, sucks and fucks the hole with his tongue, making filthy sounds that in turn make the younger man moan. When he adds fingers to the game, Rhys comes, muffling his cry by biting into his forearm.

“These walls are pretty soundproof, princess,” Jack tells him with a chuckle. “You can make all the sound you want.”

“How about telling you to fucking fuck me already?” Rhys asks.

Jack rolls his eyes but crawls over him to kiss him. “Uppity Omega,” he mutters while he reaches for the lube again. Seconds later, he is pushing into the man. It’s been only a few days, but fuck, did he miss it!

Giving the younger man time to get used to him, he leans down and looks him in the eyes. “You were unsure about the future, right? I’ll tell you what will happen,” he says. “Starting by today, you will stop taking any pills. I will have you during a heat, fuck you so much you will get sick of it. I will bond you. And I will get you pregnant over and over again, make you big, keep you here so _nobody can have you_ ,” he growls, “because you are _mine_.”

Rhys moans, and Jack can’t hold off anymore, setting a harsh rhythm, fucking the younger man like he was making a point. _Mine, mine, mine._

Rhys soon comes for the second time, but the Alpha is nowhere near done with him. He helps him turn around, getting him on his knees with his face pressed into the mattress, and he fucks him until Rhys is mewling and moaning, torn between _more_ and _stop_.

Later, when they lay there knotted, the strange calling finally leaves Rhys, and he grows a little nervous. He is not sure why he is here anymore, but Jack is kissing the back of his neck and stroking his stomach mindlessly, it feels right, but it doesn’t, and he whimpers.

“Shh, kitten,” Jack soothes immediately, sensing the source of his distress. Not even a knot in his ass can stop the Omega from worrying. “Just a few more minutes. It’s alright. We are all safe.”

Rhys is ready to run out of the room as soon as they part, but Jack persuades him to take a shower while he gets to changing the sheets with a disgusted frown. When Rhys comes out, wearing the pyjama pants again, he blinks, not believing his eyes.

In the freshly made bed lays Jack with Atlas laying on his stomach and sleeping. “He was looking for you,” Jack explains. “He didn’t wait for an answer and made himself comfortable,” he grins, stroking the boy’s hair back.

“He is so obviously your son,” Rhys shakes his head and joins them, carefully pulling the blanket so Atlas is covered.

“I think he got this after you,” Jack argues lightly, kissing the Omega. “Finding a way into my heart in zero point two seconds.”

Safe, warm and comfortable, with his family finally complete, Rhys falls asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, yeah, Rhys named his son Atlas, because the only thing he knew about the father was that his name is Jack or John, both boring names, and that he worked for Atlas, a cool name. Rhys is simple.
> 
> Tell me your opinion about the turn of events, I live for it. :) Next update on Tuesday.


	3. Chapter 3

To say Rhys is nervous is an understatement.

Atlas is safe with Vaughn, and he doesn’t actually worry about him much. He explained to him what is going to happen (in a child-friendly way), and his smart boy understood, asking a few questions, which Rhys gladly answered. He wanted his son to know everything about his body and nature so it can’t surprise him, and explaining that once every couple weeks his body will want to be alone in one room with an Alpha only was a part of it.

But he was worried about the fact that his mind will be so preoccupied with heat that he won’t even remember to worry about his son! That’s what’s scaring him, and what has him pacing through the house, ignoring the heat beginning to spread through his body.

“It’s just that I never had a proper heat! I have the right to be nervous!” he dodged Jack’s try to pull him into a hug, not ready to be comforted. “I’m scared, alright!”

Jack groans, his patience wearing thin. “Rhys, there is nothing to be afraid of! I’ve done this before, I will take care of you, Atlas is with Vaughn, and you are freaking out for _no_ reason. Calm down before I force you to calm down!”

His growling only has a little effect on the Omega, getting him to stop and let himself be embraced, but the scent of distress is still there, making them both nervous. “Come on, you stupid little thing,” Jack ruffles the Omega’s hair. “Calm down. Let me take you to the bathroom, we can share a bath, you will feel better…”

“O-okay,” Rhys finally agrees, letting himself be led to Jack’s bathroom. After a shared bath and a massage from Jack, he feels much better, relaxed. He manages to eat half of a sandwich before he begins to feel hot and uncomfortable.

“J-Jack?” he pants, his voice trembling for a different reason. He feels slick _leaking_ out of him, the unfamiliar sensation he still isn’t used to.

“Hot, baby?” Jack asks, helping him up from the chair. He growls when the Omega’s scent hits him, and he pulls Rhys closer, presses his nose to his neck and inhales deeply. “Fuck, baby, you smell so good.”

Before Rhys knows it, his bathrobe is ripped from him and Jack is carrying him to the bedroom, thrown over his shoulder. He gets thrown on the bed, Jack immediately crawling over him to kiss him. He is surprised that this behaviour is not scaring him, he is craving it, arching under Jack and reaching for him.

The last thing Rhys remembers clearly is Jack prepping him, then it’s a haze full of lust and burning. He knows Jack kept up his promise and took good care of him because he can remember his growled commands to freaking stop squirming for a while and drink some water, and also being gently but firmly held down in a bath so he can’t escape the cooling water, and being fed crackers while sitting in the Alpha’s lap, being patted and praised for being a good boy.

He remembers a lot of sex, but he wouldn’t be able to put the memories together if his life depended on it. He remembers being fucked against the big window in the living room, on the kitchen counter, on the kitchen floor, both probably before or after attempts to force food into him. He remembers Jack telling him to get on his knees, to lie on his stomach, to brace against the headboard, to fuck himself on a dildo he has no idea he had, and Rhys always obeyed like a good Omega. And those memories are _terrifying_ , even though the praises he received still feel good, even when the heat is gone.

He liked the cuddling at the end the most. Laying in bed, almost fully coherent when Jack is knotting him, hearing him clearly when he speaks about how beautiful Rhys will be when he is pregnant again. He remained conscious of himself even after they were able to separate, clinging to Jack and for some stupid reason asking if he’d been a good Omega.

The last day was just lazing around and gaining energy back. Jack brought a ton of snacks into the bed, forcing Rhys to munch on something constantly – not that he minded, because most of it had chocolate in it.

His muscles were sore, his ass the most, but after a simple complaint, Jack got some super awesome healing crème that soothed the pain and helped the muscles relax. He was pampered like he hadn’t been in a long time, and he almost regretted that he didn’t seek Jack earlier.

“How you feelin’, kitten?” Jack asks, casually stroking his side. “How about we get up, have a shower, get dressed and pick Atlas up?”

“Shower sounds fine,” Rhys sighs, stretching. “So, the heat is over…?” he asks. He is unsure, trying to make sense of it and failing. This week was… hell.

“I’m pretty sure. We can wait longer, if you are not feeling good, yet, though,” the Alpha suggests, cuddling him closer.

“No, I’d like to see Atlas. Come on,” Rhys gets up, but his legs are wobbly, and Jack needs to help him.

After thoroughly scrubbing themselves of the sex scent, they change the sheets in the bedroom, the rest of the house already taken care of by cleaner bots. Rhys is quiet, contemplating as he walks hand in hand with Jack. He wonders whether it will be easier to let Jack near Atlas now that they have shared a heat.

The answer is no. Atlas runs into his arms, telling him that he missed him, and Rhys refuses to let go of him for another two hours, not that the boy minds, never being away from his dad for so long. Jack gets growled at whenever he comes close, and eventually, he just settles on making dinner and leaving it on the table for the two, himself eating in his home office.

Rhys and Atlas slept in the kid’s room together that night, Jack still not being allowed close. By that point, even Jack was losing patience, wondering what’s wrong with the Omega, but they never really had the time to talk about everything the Omega went through in the last few years, not that the young man was willing to share anyway.

It only gets better in the morning when Atlas decides to sit alone while eating breakfast, slowly getting comfortable with being far from his dad. When Jack brings him a small present, a toy robot, for being good at Vaughn’s, he runs off to his room to introduce it to the other toys.

“Can I touch you now?” Jack asks tentatively, already hugging the Omega anyway. “I don’t want to be bitten again.”

“It’s not like I left any scars on you,” Rhys hums, leaning into the hug now that he can enjoy it without his Omega part screaming at him.

“Talking about scars…” Jack begins, waiting for a reaction. Rhys only sighs and buries his face in Jack’s sweater. “Where are the scars from?”

“I had a guy over one night… It was risky, but he promised me… a lot of money.” Shame paints his face red, and the way Jack tenses up isn’t helping. “He beat me up pretty bad and cut me with a glass shard when I tried to lock myself in the bathroom. I managed to lock Atlas in the bedroom with my phone, and he called Vaughn.”

Jack growls, his hold on the Omega tightening further. Supressing a whine, Rhys offers his throat to the Alpha to help him calm down. Instead of scenting Jack nibs at the skin there lightly, causing Rhys to want to pull away. He doesn’t let him go before he is satisfied, leaving the skin a little red.

“Didn’t notice you having a phone,” Jack notes then.

“Yeah, I don’t,” Rhys shrugs. “I broke it while, uhm, trying to hack into, uhm, a company’s database. It fried.” He pointedly avoids the Alpha’s eyes. He tries to pull away, to no avail, Jack doesn’t let go.

“You should have contacted me. I would keep you safe. This wouldn’t have happened.” His voice turns into a growl.

Rhys snaps out of whatever is keeping him nice and docile for the Alpha, because this hits a nerve. “Yeah?!” he stands up, standing on his tiptoes and screaming straight into the Alpha’s face. “And what would you do to keep me safe this time? Cut my other arm off? Chain me to the bed? Last time you helped me you scarred me pretty bad, so sorry that I wasn’t sure about you. Besides, Jack, you were married _four_ times! And you slept with ten times more people than me! How can you even say these things, you hypocritic, selfish asshole?!”

The Alpha is actually stunned. Maybe he forgot who Rhys really is, why he liked him so much. Maybe he just didn’t expect talking back after a sex marathon. Whatever it was, it made him shut his mouth and look away. “Sorry, pumpkin,” he muttered. “I forgot how… Forgot how much you went through. Of course, it was logical to hide where you were hiding…”

Unsure of what to say, Rhys snarls for one last time. “Yeah, it was.” Then the wind leaves him, leaving an uneasy, nagging feeling. He doesn’t know where to get from there, but Jack saves it.

“I’m gonna bond you tonight,” he says with his usual confidence.

“Wh-what? It’s soon. Why-why tonight? I-I I’m not sure…”

“Because,” Jack says, coming to embrace him once again, “I want to make sure that this won’t happen to you again. That you know that you can always come to me. And I want to make sure I won’t lose you again.”

Those are nice things, but Rhys can’t help but feel cornered. He did this all so he would have a choice, control of his life. And now… “Can I stop you?” he asked, shoulders sagging.

Jack sighed. “I guess you can. I mean, I will probably back off if you cry or something, but… Don’t you want to be my mate?” He sounds genuinely hurt for a second.

“I want to,” Rhys sighs. “But I want to have a choice, Jack. You told me that I’m more than a slave, and that I can work with my nature, and…”

“Would it help you if I asked you?” Jack suggests.

“I guess, yes?”

“Okay then,” the Alpha sighs, sagging to one knee. “Rhys, will you be my bondmate?”

The way he asks is unceremonious, not the same like you would propose to another Alpha or Beta, but the mere gesture makes Rhys smile. He might be the first Omega in the history who heard that question. “Yes,” he answers, a sense of proudness filling him, “I do.”

“Great!” Jack raises to his feet again, looking like he never even did it, but Rhys knows, and it warms his heart. Just as much like hearing: “My Alpha-Omega,” later.

* * *

When Atlas is asleep, all dishes are washed, and both adults are out of shower, Rhys realises how scared he is, and how much he is trying to avoid what’s coming, or at least postpone it.

Jack lets him pace around for a while, like before the heat, but then he simply catches him, pressing Rhys against a wall chest-first. “Calm down, kitten,” he speaks right into his ear. “You don’t want to be stressed during this.”

Even though he would like to look braver, Rhys gives in and whimpers. “But I’m scared, Jack! Last time it hurt so much…”

“It’s not gonna hurt that much, babe. If you are relaxed, it will feel good. But if you remain worked up like this, it will get really painful. So, calm down.”

“None of what you said is reassuring,” Rhys sighs. “Jack, can we wait?”

“We can, but will you get better?” When his point is made, he runs his hands down Rhys sides, pressing even more into him. “Don’t worry, Rhysie. I’ll make you feel good, and then I will bond you, and everything will be right.”

“O-o-okay,” Rhys sighs. He begins to relax, the Alpha’s pressing presence doing its wonderous job. When he is calm enough, Jack slowly leads him to the bed.

True to his word, Jack makes sure Rhys is feeling very good. He eats him out until Rhys comes, then he fingers him, stretches him carefully while sucking his dick, bringing him to another orgasm. Rhys is not sure if he will survive the bonding if it continues to go like this, but he is definitely enjoying it.

When Jack finally fucks him, he showers him in prise and sweet words. He focused on Rhys’ pleasure again, slowly stroking his cock while ramming straight into his prostate in a punishing pace, and when Rhys comes for the third time, he flips him on his stomach.

Rhys is in hell. The sweetest hell full of pleasurable agony. He keeps trying to pull away from Jack and thrust back at the same time, so good, too good! He can’t even come when Jack’s knot swells in him, but his body sure as hell tries.

He expects the bite to come now, but Jack waits, telling him that he is so good and so beautiful, waiting for them both to calm down. “I want you to remember this, kitten,” he explains. “You ready?”

Not trusting his mouth to produce anything but moans, Rhys nods. He even manages to bare his neck to Jack. He feels mouth at his bonding site, then tongue, teeth…

It’s not as bad as the last time. It’s weird, like hot water touching sore muscles and relaxing them, everywhere at once. But the weird feeling is cut short and replaced by something foreign. Possessiveness, satisfaction and… fear and confusion?

He passes out shortly after, too overwhelmed for that moment.

* * *

Rhys wakes up to the realisation that it is a little hard to breathe. He feels blood trailing down from his neck freely, soaking into the bed. Jack is above him, unmoving, and it scares the shit out of Rhys. The knot in his ass is gone, Jack’s cock soft.

Finally, there is a groan and a few curses. “Freakin’— What the hell? Damn…” Jack manages to roll to the side, Rhys’ breathing suddenly easing. “Ffffuck… I wasn’t supposed to— What the hell?”

“Jack?” the Omega’s voice is shaky, strangely hoarse. “What happened?”

“I… I think I can feel you, Rhys…”

The Alpha sounds scared, making Rhys even more nervous. He tries to raise on his arms, move to Jack, but his body doesn’t obey. “Jack…”

“Lie down, Rhysie, please. I can… I can feel you hurt… Freaking fuck.” Finally, Jack comes to himself a little, and he moves above Rhys again, inspecting the wound. He licks it a few times and then goes to the bathroom for some disinfectant.

“Grit your teeth, baby,” he warns. “We are both gonna feel it… apparently.”

And sure, they both do. Rhys whimpers and Jack winces behind him, distress mirroring between them. Jack winces again when he puts a sterile cloth on the wound, murmuring an apology.

When it’s done, Jack gently kisses the skin behind Rhys’ ear, and whispers: “I’m gonna make a call and come right back, okay?”

Rhys remains on his stomach, ignoring drying and cooling come under and behind him. He focuses on the bond. It’s new, raw, but he can feel Jack clearly. The Alpha is a little scared, slowly morphing into annoyed when the call starts. He is nervous and pacing, and it makes Rhys want to jump up and pace too or go and soothe his Alpha. But all this at least feels natural to him, not like the brainless haze he was in during his heat.

Slowly, Rhys forces himself up, deciding to at least wash himself. He winces when the movement is not appreciated by his aching dick and hole, and immediately, he feels the unease on the other side of the bond growing.

In the bathroom, Rhys washes himself with a damp washcloth, carefully wiping away leftover blood from his collarbone. He changes the sheets in the bedroom and settles comfortably on his right side when he is done. Soon, Jack comes and joins him.

Rhys’ sleep is deep and full of dreams, but in the morning, he feels like he didn’t rest at all, nervous, volatile energy and carving pretzels… Pretzels?

Smiling to himself, Rhys heads to the kitchen where Jack is already cooking up a feast. He feels Jack relax every time his eyes fall on a finished meal. Without saying a word, Rhys reaches into the Alpha’s secret stash, fishes out a pack of pretzels, opens it and plops one into his mouth.

Looking at him like he was an alien, Jack doesn’t seem to even know what to do with the pretzel, and Rhys laughs. “Come on, Jack,” he says playfully. “It’s not so hard.” He plops a few pretzels in his own mouth, but they sour the moment he thinks of Atlas and whether he is awake yet, his Omega instinct forbidding him to eat before the baby.

Shuddering, Jack spits out the pretzel. “What the hell was that?!” he asks, looking at the saliva covered treat, blaming, as if it bit him.

“Can’t eat before you feed the pups,” Rhys explains with a shrug. “You will get used to it in, give or take, five years.”

“Honey, that is… I can’t focus, no, we have to… This needs to end,” Jack mutters, running his hands through his hair and tugging in frustration. “I can’t think straight, I can’t work!”

A pang of guilt hits Rhys, causing Jack’s head to snap in his direction, because he felt that. Very quietly, looking at the floor only, he says: “I mean, we can get rid of it…”

He is hit with a strong surge of possessiveness telling him that Jack is his, his, HIS, and he is confused for a second before he realises that it is the bond, that’s what Jack feels about him, and he gasps. Under all of that is warmth he can’t place, but he likes it, and he focusses on feeling that and not the obsessive want.

“We aren’t getting rid of anything,” the Alpha growls, stepping forward and forcing Rhys to back away until he is pressed against a wall. “We just need to figure it out. I can’t work like this; my head is a mess. It makes me weak—”

“I am _not_ weak,” Rhys snarls, raising a little on his feet even though he is absolutely trapped between Jack and the wall.

“No, you are not, little Alpha,” Jack soothes, giving him a quick peck on the lips. “But I… Alphas aren’t made to feel this. I need to find out what happened.”

“Can’t you just—” Rhys doesn’t even get to finish that; either because Jack sensed what he wants to say, or because the Alpha is too volatile to let some Omega reprimand him.

“No, I can’t,” he snarls, and this time, Rhys’ instincts win over, and he ducks, tilting his head and offering his throat. “If I’m weakened, I can’t protect you two, darling,” Jack says more calmly, soothed by his Omega’s scent.

They would probably continue their little powerplay, but a soft and sleepy voice disturbs them. “Dad? Father?” Atlas is standing in the kitchen door, rubbing his blue eyes sleepily, brown hair sticking in all directions.

Jack steps away and Rhys walks towards the boy, smiling kindly. “Good morning, Atlas. Did you brush your teeth yet?” He takes his hand, leading him to a bathroom to help him with morning routine. When they come back, Jack had served all the food on the table.

“Whoa,” Atlas’ mouth falls open. “There’s so much food, dad!”

Rhys can’t help it but feel guilty. He could never afford this for his son. And if he sought Jack earlier, they would have it.

“What are you thinking, pumpkin?” Jack asks, suddenly behind him. “Is this about the pup eating?”

“No,” Rhys chuckles mirthlessly. “Just thinking that Atlas had probably never seen so much food. We were poor, because of—”

“Me,” Jack interrupts him. “I should have taken care of you. I shouldn’t’ve left you with them.” He hugs the Omega, and they both watch as Atlas climbs onto a barstool, reaching for a waffle.

“Fruit first, young man,” Rhys scolds him lightly, but he can’t stop the smile. And it only grows bigger when Atlas ignores him in favour of moving more waffles on his plate, then carefully moving it from the adults’ reach, and only then does he reach for some orange slices, guarding his sweet loot with a guilty expression.

Rhys sits between Jack and Atlas and waits until the boy eats the whole orange before he starts nibbling apple slices. Jack manages to eat while Rhys just watches Atlas, but as soon as he starts eating himself, the guilt still present, the Alpha drops the bagel he was eating and sighs.

“Come on, father,” Atlas cheers him up. “You need to eat at least one full bagel to be strong! But you are bigger than me, so I think you should eat ten.”

Both parents chuckle, exchanging amused looks. “He is too innocent for this world,” Jack says as he takes another bite of his bagel, following his son’s advice.

“I’m not!” the boy argues. “I’m a warrior! I will fight anybody who hurts my dad! Even a big Alpha like you!”

“I don’t doubt that,” Jack assures him, under his breath adding that now he has two little Alphas.

Atlas and Rhys both still eat like the food should disappear suddenly, so all the waffles are gone soon, along with the fruit and some croissants. With full bellies, they both relax with a cup of tea, filling the room with happy Omega scents. Something that Jack could definitely get used to. But work first.

“We should be at R&D in thirty minutes,” he says, getting up and putting the leftover food away while Atlas eyes the croissants longingly.

“But what about Atlas?” Rhys asks. “Vaughn is at work already, and we don’t have anybody else to look after him.”

“I can look after myself!” the boy suggests immediately, all too happy for an opportunity like this.

“No, you most definitely can’t,” Rhys frowns. He knows that they would get back to the penthouse on fire or flooded. Not that Atlas is a bad kid, but he is too curious, and his exploring sometimes ends in accidents.

“He’ll go with us,” Jack says simply like it wasn’t a big deal. “Nobody will come close to my son, don’t worry.”

Rhys doesn’t like it, and he is about to voice his opinion, but Jack hugs him from behind and noses at his bonding site. It’s like all the worries dissipated, leaving only calmness and a distant pang of guilt. He relaxes, letting Jack hug him and scent him while Atlas is sent to his room to pack some crayons and papers.

He realises what happened only when they arrive to R&D, and he makes sure to give Jack a death glare, sending his anger through the bond. After he helps Atlas to sit at one of the scientists’ desk, and hisses at everyone in a warning not to approach him, he growls at Jack, telling him to never do that again. For his cocky _no promises_ the Alpha gets a silent treatment.

Rhys waits, leaning on the desk where Atlas is drawing, while Jack describes the situation to the best scientists Hyperion has. Most of them are Betas, some are Alphas. Two Alphas get thrown out by Jack after coming too close to the Omegas, and the rest remains on the other side of the room for the rest of the day.

First, the scientists decide to check Rhys’ bonding gland, but everything there seems to be absolutely normal. His blood tests return nothing unusual, and any other test he refuses, hissing at anyone who dares to try and suggest again, including Jack.

Focusing on the Alpha, the scientists find much more interesting results, but no answers. Rhys listens carefully as they explain the situation, trying to memorise everything, so he can do his own research.

“Every human being starts their life as something mostly resembling a Beta,” a female doctor explains. “The only difference is the bonding gland. Later, if the baby is a Beta, it disappears completely, usually during the third week. If it’s an Omega, it stays, but if it’s an Alpha, the bonding gland stays until the eight month. Then it stops growing, leaving Alphas with a barely detectable bundle of nerves.” She points it out on pictures on an ECHO pad, which has Rhys hesitantly leaving his son’s side to peek over her shoulder.

“This process is unique, and it’s not mirrored in any other trait that differs among endotypes,” she continues. “For example, genitalia develop during the third week for all endotypes, even though it’s all different. By the end of the third week, a baby’s gender and endotype is set and nothing will change until the birth, except for Alphas’ bonding glands.”

“That’s all very interesting, doctor,” Jack says with annoyance and boredom in his voice, but only anxiety can be felt through the bond, “but could you tell me what happened to me exactly? I don’t remember having a bonding gland, yet there is a bond, and you guys found the lump on my shoulder!”

“You didn’t, sir,” she nods. “If your medical files are up to date, last time your Alpha bonding spot was checked was after your return from-from the Va-Vault, sir.” She stutters at the end, looking to the tips of her feet like she was expecting something to happen. Rhys knows that the Vault of the Sentinel is the reason Jack is wearing the mask, and that he isn’t ready to tell him about it, only mentioning a scar, and he doesn’t understand the Beta’s fear. She, eventually, gathers courage to continue. “Everything was normal back then, sir.”

“What changed, then?” Jack asks with a raised eyebrow, tapping his foot.

“We don’t know yet, sir. What we know for sure is that your bonding site had grew. It’s located on the usual place, lower than Omegas’, and it lacks the sensitivity or reactions, but it-it’s there…”

“And you have yet to find out why, right?” Jack groans in annoyance.

One of the other scientists takes a hesitant step forward. “If I m-may make a s-suggestion, s-sir…”

“Go on,” Jack nods.

“There is one colleague, Doctor Beckett, who has a doctorate in Eridian Archaeology, who never shuts his mouth about the artefacts he has seen, really, he is talking about it all the damn time, even when eating—”

“Get to the point!” Jack shouts, startling both Omegas in the room and wincing. “Just make your suggestion,” he adds in a lower voice.

The scientist is positively shaking as he nods. “Yes, sir. Sorry, sir. He told me about Alphas being portrayed with a bonding gland on some old paintings. I thought that he is stupid and crazy, but he believes that Alphas used to have bonding glands too, up until the last great extinction. I-I-I I’ll go and bring him here.” Wisely, he doesn’t even wait for the CEO to urge him on and he runs out of the room.

“You and four people of your choice stay, the rest of you useless overpaid jackasses out,” Jack orders, gesturing towards the Beta that talked to them previously.

The scientist is back with Doctor Beckett before the room even cleans out, both panting. “T-this is him, sir,” the scientist gestures towards his colleague who straightens up and puffs his chest.

Before he can begin his lecture in archaeology, however, Rhys’ ear catches a soft thud of a crayon falling to the ground and movement. One of the scientists nearby reaches out to give the fallen crayon back to Atlas, who stares at the male Alpha with wide eye, stuck between fear and awe. The Alpha reaches out with his other hand to pat the boy’s shoulder, and that’s when both Rhys and Jack spring to action.

While Rhys hisses and lunges at the Alpha who _dared to touch his son_ , Jack wraps both his arms around his waist, keeping him in place, kicking and growling. “Everybody, get out,” Jack growls while he tries to keep the surprisingly strong Omega from ripping the Alpha’s throat out. “Send all you have to my secretary, daily updates. Now, scram.” He doesn’t need to say it twice, all the scientists are already ducking their heads and running away from the angry Omega parent, their instincts telling them to run for their lives.

“Calm down, pumpkin,” Jack growls lightly when he earns yet another scratch. “You are only scaring Atlas.”

But even that doesn’t seem to be working, and so Jack shifts his hold on Rhys to keep him in place while his other hand reaches up to the bonding gland, _pinching_ the spot. Instantly, Rhys goes limp in his hold, his growls and hissing turning into a sad whimper that makes the Alpha feel even more guilty. “There you go,” he murmurs soothingly, licking the spot to calm the agitated skin.

The Alpha pauses for a second, realising that he managed to completely ignore the bloodthirst that he felt coming from the bond. Or more accurately – he used the knowledge to save a few scientists’ lives and didn’t fall for it himself. So, at least the sharing emotions thing was getting better.

Carefully, Jack picked Rhys up bridal style, letting him hide his face in the Alpha’s chest. Then he turned to Atlas, who, to his surprise, didn’t look as shaken as he expected.

“You alright, champ?” he asked, trying to calm himself like Rhys would always do when speaking to the kid. Atlas just nodded. “Did we scare you?” A shake of his head. “Good. Let’s go home, now. Your dad needs to sleep.”

He kept his eyes on the boy as they walked through an empty corridor, every employee on this floor probably running away from the CEO and his family. They rode in the elevator in silence, every Jack’s attempt at getting the boy to speak yielding no results.

Back in the penthouse, Jack carried Rhys to bed and ordered him to stay in a hushed hard voice. He went looking for Atlas, finding him sitting on the bed hugging a pillow. He dropped the pillow when Jack sat next to him, climbing into his lap and hugging him instead.

“How do you feel?” Jack asked, gently stroking his back and hair. The boy was so small compared to him; he was sometimes scared he would break him.

“A little scared,” Atlas admitted. “Did the Alpha want to hurt me?”

“No, I’m sure they didn’t,” Jack assures him. “But your dad was scared, you know. As an Omega, he cares for his children a lot, and the strange Alpha made a mistake by approaching you without asking us.”

“Dad worries a lot,” Atlas nodded like it all now made sense. “Does that mean I will be like that too?” He looked up at Jack, blue eyes like two gemstones, big and shiny.

“No, Atlas,” Jack chuckled. “I’m sure you will be even stronger.”

The boy giggles, but then he shakes his head. “Uh-uh. Dad is the strongest! He almost got you!” He was more right than Jack was willing to admit, and so he just ruffled his hair and smiled. Atlas said something very interesting, then. “Dad protected me back on the beach. He can fight off any Alpha, even badasses!”

“Who did he protect you from?” Jack asked curiously.

Atlas looked guilty for a second. “We do not talk about it. It was just a mean man.” His attention is caught by his loader bot toy when he looks away from the Alpha, and so Jack releases him so he can play.

Jack walks into the bedroom just as Rhys tries to slip from the bed. “Uh-uh,” he says, locking the door behind him. “You stay right there.”

Ignoring the resulting growl, Jack steps forward. “We two will have a small talk while Atlas plays in his room.” And by talk he doesn’t really mean talk, and the Omega knows it. He gives him a defiant look but gets back on the bed. “I am too nice to you, pumpkin,” Jack says, standing by the bed and towering over the Omega. “But what you did down there was really stupid, and you need to stop doing this, especially when there are other people. I would really hate if you killed some of my employees for sneezing in the same room.

“I’ll give you a choice,” he says. “Either you tell me why are you like this, or I spank you like I should have done earlier.”

Rhys hisses, raising to his knees to be higher on the bed. “Atlas is _mine_ , and I won’t let them hurt him!”

“Nobody was going to hurt him, kitten,” his voice is an obvious warning. “Why are you so overprotective?”

Looking even more defiant and raising higher, Rhys hisses one more time. “He is my son.”

“Alright, then,” Jack sighs. In the next second, he has the Omega pinned under himself on his stomach. He ignores Rhys’ curses and thrashing as he grips both his wrists in one hand, and with the other pulls his pants and underwear down. “You need to remember your place, princess.” He moves back a little, sitting on Rhys’ thighs while keeping his wrists pinned on his lower back. “You and Atlas are my family now, and it’s _my_ job to keep you safe.”

Rhys keeps cursing him until the first slap lands on his skin, then he tenses, like only now believing that this is real. He snarls and tries to free himself, but even his cybernetic arm seems too weak to disobey the Alpha.

Jack was ready to feel the discomfort himself, but it wasn’t even that bad. Like in R&D, he was able to push it aside, knowing that the Omega is exactly where he should be, and nothing wrong is actually happening. Hopefully, his brain will continue being nice to him like that.

He delivered one slap after the other, switching between cheeks and painting them red and purple. He listened to Rhys’ shouts and cries carefully, and also minded the feed from the bond, to find the right time to stop, just before Rhys broke down and begged.

When the hits stopped coming and his arms were released, it took the younger male a few more moments to realise that it is over. His face was red from crying, his whole body trembling and his dick hard for some reason. He panted and gasped, fighting futilely to calm his breathing.

Jack laid on his back next to the Omega and pulled him close, helping him rest his head on his chest. He stroked his hair and wiped the tears from his cheeks, whispering that Rhys is safe now, it’s over, and he was good, taking it all like a champ.

“Will you try to be better, pumpkin?” he asked, knowing that the Omega will agree to anything now. “Will you let me take care of you and Atlas? You will be a good Omega and let your Alpha protect you?”

Rhys nodded, whimpering and still panting, breathing too fast. His body seemed to be past the pain, however, and his hips started moving the tiniest bit against Jack’s thigh. “Please, Alpha,” he whimpered. “I want— I— I want—”

“Shh, I know,” Jack soothed, pressing gentle kisses to Rhys’ forehead. “You want my knot, right?”

Frantically nodding, Rhys tried to push himself up and climb on the Alpha, but Jack stopped him with a firm hand pressing him back down by his shoulder. “Not yet, Rhysie. I need you to calm down a little first.” But those words had not the desired effect.

“Please, Alpha! Please!” he whimpered, weakly struggling against the hold. “I’ve-I’ve been a good Omega! _Please_ …”

Jack sighed, closing his eyes for a second and focusing on the distress in the air and the one coming from the bond, not the arousal in his pants or the one he could feel radiating from the Omega. Then he got to soothing him again, stroking his hair, rubbing his shoulders and back, reminding him to take deep breaths.

When Rhys was able to breathe without stuttering, Jack helped him to lay more comfortably, pushing a pillow under his hips. He prepped him with care but quickly, them both impatient, their arousal resonating through their bonds.

Rhys tried to thrust back when Jack started pushing into him, but the Alpha growled and held him down with one hand. He set a not slow, not quick pace and focused his attention on the Omega’s sweet spot, bringing him to orgasm, and then another when he knotted him.

Jack moved them on their sides so they can get comfortable, mindlessly stroking the Omega’s slightly swollen belly. He noticed that he is shaking (still? again?). “Are you cold?” he asked, already reaching for the blanket and throwing it over the Omega.

The younger man shook his head but pulled the fabric up until it was touching his chin anyway. “Jack…?” his voice was hoarse as he spoke, and this time, Jack was hit by the full force of his emotions through the bond.

Guilt, shame, fear, loneliness. He pulled the Omega closer, scenting him and reassuring.

“Atlas almost got hurt because of me,” Rhys said softly, leaning into the comforting touches. “I let him run on the beach; didn’t watch him for only two minutes. He never ran too far, always came back when he wandered out of sight… And suddenly, I heard crying.”

Jack stills for a second, and then renews his ministrations with twice more care. It seems to help the Omega gather strength to speak, but his voice is still so soft Jack has to strain his ears to hear him.

“There was an Alpha. Apparently, he was watching us the whole time. He tried to lure Atlas away. Then he tried to order him. He is an Omega, but I told him that his instincts are wrong, he doesn’t have to obey anyone, and so he refused. But he was just a kid, so he started crying, and the Alpha grabbed him…” The Omega shudders, another wave of guilt hitting Jack. “He had bruises, Jack. Big, purple bruises.”

“Shh, you are safe now, Rhysie,” the Alpha soothes, focusing on his admiration of the Omega and hoping that he can feel it.

“I never felt so angry, and so strong,” Rhys continues. “I punched him, broke his nose. I don’t even remember running to them, I just moved, following instincts. I grabbed Atlas and ran, didn’t stop until we were home. Atlas believes that I was a hero, that I saved him, fought the Alpha off, but all I really did was punch him and run; and it wouldn’t’ve happened if I didn’t let him wander off!” He breaks into sobs, the wet sounds shaking his body. “I’m a terrible dad. I was already protective of him, but it wasn’t enough. I hoped Atlas would forget the experience one day, but he still remembers! I failed him, and-and—”

When he can’t speak anymore, Jack gently turns him around so he can hide in his chest, tears and snot soaking into his sweater that he didn’t bother to take off. “You are a great dad, Rhys,” he says softly. “You raised him alone, got him a safe home. And you are the strongest Omega that ever lived in this universe. But you know what? You don’t have to be strong anymore; you don’t have to fight. You have me now, and I will keep you safe. Both of you.”

The words only cause Rhys to cry more, and it takes him another twenty minutes to fully calm down. He relaxes, eventually, lightly dozing off. But then he is suddenly sitting up.

“Atlas!” he panics. “He’d been alone for hours!”

Jack holds him down before he can escape, even gently kissing his bonding site. “Relax, pumpkin. You know I have five AI’s watching over him through twenty-seven cameras any time. He is safe. And he needs some time alone after seeing you so angry.”

“Jack, let me go,” the Omega insists, fighting the instinctive need to submit with all of his might. “I need to at least check on him.”

“Uh-uh,” he keeps holding him. “I have a better idea. I go check on Atlas while you take a shower, apply something on your sweet butt, get dressed, change the sheets and make the bed, and then wait for me here, sitting on the bed. What do you say?”

“Just let me go, Jack,” Rhys tries to growl, but he can’t find enough strength to fight. He switches tactics. “Please, Alpha…”

“Nuh,” Jack nibs at his neck playfully. “I’m glad that you told me the truth, but you really need to learn to trust me. And act more like a good little Omega if you want me to treat like a good little Omega. So, what do you say again?”

Rhys shudders, takes a few deep breaths. “O-okay… Alpha.”

“Good boy,” Jack praises and kisses the top of his head. He dresses in some fresh clothes, using a bit of cologne to cover any disturbing scent, and then he leaves.

Gathering himself, Rhys slowly stands up, only wincing slightly. He takes a quick shower and applies some soothing crème to the skin of his ass as Jack wanted, and then he puts on some clothes, makes the bed and… sits patiently. He focuses on the bond, trying to distinguish what emotions are the most prominent, what is the Alpha doing, but it’s a confusing mess, nothing standing above the rest.

Couple of minutes later, Jack walks into the room with the boy on one arm, a plate with fruit slices in the other. As soon as he sees his dad, Atlas wiggles free and takes the plate from Jack, running towards Rhys. “Dad, we made you a snack! I helped!”

“Did you?” Rhys smiles, taking an apple slice and slowly munching.

“This little man is so clever, and so well-behaved,” Jack praised him, ruffling the boy’s hair. “Anyway, I should go to the office, at least for a few hours. I’ll probably come late, so don’t wait for me with dinner. And no staying up late!” He kisses Rhys on the cheek, and then Atlas, and leaves.

Rhys narrows his eyes at the Alpha’s back. _No staying up late! I go check on Atlas; you stay here!_ What does he think he is? Did he just give _Rhys_ permission to see _his son_? Is Rhys supposed to act like a well-behaved kept Omega now?

The slight tingle on the left side of his neck tells him that yes, this is his life now. And it could be worse. Jack is the best Alpha he could wish for. Still, Rhys never asked to be an Omega, and he won’t go without a fight.

“Say, Atlas… Do you want me to show you how to build a pillow fortress?”

* * *

Hours later, all pillows from Jack’s bedroom, pillows from the living room, every removable pillow from the couches, and any blanket the two could find is a part of a gigantic pillow castle in the middle of the living room. One side opens towards the window, illuminating the inside with Elpis’ purple glow, and another opening is towards the TV. By both exits there is a huge sign: NO ALPHAS ALLOWED!

Rhys and Atlas had a lot of fun building it. They ordered pizza, something both of them love and can’t get enough of, and then they watched cartoons until Atlas fell asleep. Rhys carried him deeper into the pseudo-nest, the boy’s fluffy pyjama making it look like he was a sleeping princess. After throwing a couple of blankets over themselves, he hugged the boy and fell asleep. Screw the Alpha. They are having a daddy and son time.

Jack came home well past midnight to find both of his boys sleeping. He watched them build the nest through cameras occasionally, and now he finally got to read the signs they created. _No Alphas allowed_. He smirked.

Knowing well that stepping into a nesting Omega’s territory is another sin punishable by scratches and hissing, but also unhealthy, because it causes Omegas to feel unsafe, he made himself comfortable by the open door. Because he didn’t find any pillow or blanket in near proximity, he used his rolled-up shirt as a pillow and jacket as a blanket. He’d had worse on his Vault hunts and in the banishment.

* * *

In the morning, Atlas woke both his parents when he started gigging. “Look, dad!” he tugged at Rhys’ hand as the Omega rubbed sleep out of his eyes. “Father is sleeping like an adventurer!”

“Mm-hm,” the Omega hums, smirking. Serves him right, he thinks. “That’s because he is an adventurer, you know. He doesn’t need comfort. He can sleep on the hard ground, and he wakes up well rested.” Through the bond he feels that Jack is anything but well rested.

The Alpha, of course, keeps his face. He stretches casually and yawns, and then he jumps up, on his feet in a second. “Another day!” he says in a deeper voice than usual. “Today, I feel like having an omelette for breakfast, and creating a new type of robots!”

“Whoa!” Atlas looks up at his father, mesmerised. “Can I help you?!” he jumps up too, mimicking the Alpha’s movements.

“Let’s start by making breakfast,” Jack suggests, picking the boy up and sitting him on his neck. “Charge the kitchen, minion!”

Rhys can’t but feel smug at feeling various of the Alpha’s muscles ache as he runs off. Yep, definitely serves him right. But then the Omega feels a little cold, realising that they spent the night without any heat source, and he crawls out of the fortress to quickly brush his teeth and join the boys in the kitchen, hoping to steal some of the Alpha’s warmth before he runs off to work again.

As Atlas and Rhys both eat a bowl of canned peaches cut to small cubes, Jack creeps behind his mate hugging him and kissing his bonding site at the same time. He can be mean too. As Rhys relaxes in the hug, he whispers to his ear: “You did it on purpose, didn’t you? Taking all the blankets and sleeping in a nest. No Alphas allowed. Was this a revenge, pumpkin pie?”

Calm, warm and happy, Rhys doesn’t really care about what Jack is saying, and he nods, smiling as he nuzzles under the Alpha’s chin.

“Thought so,” Jack laughs. “You are a lot of work, babe.” When he straightens up a little, not letting go of the Omega, he shows Rhys how much he is still in control. “So, Atlas,” he says, getting the boy’s attention. “Do you want to go to work with me today? Work on robots and cool stuff?”

Rhys tenses up and gets a warning squeeze. Still, he is ready to chew Jack’s head off if he thinks he can separate him from his son like that. Atlas is already excited, bouncing in the chair, but if Rhys has any say in it—

“Your dad will come too,” Jack adds, bringing one hand up to massage on that spot again. “And we will just be in my office, but I’ll show you everything on my computer. What do you say?”

“Yes, yes, yes, please, dad!” Atlas chants. “Don’t be scared, dad! There will be robots, good robots!”

Scared? Rhys feels another surge of anger, wanting to tear Jack a new one, but it dissipates instantly as his neck is massaged. He hates his body so much. He hates himself. By getting Atlas a safe home, he lost himself, lost the control he fought for. He doesn’t—...

* * *

The Omega wakes up from the relaxed dreamy haze to the sound of Atlas’ excited questions and gibberish. Jack is sitting in his yellow throne, typing away on his computer and half-listening, answering when the boy gives him enough time to. The kid seems to be happy just crawling all over the Alpha, touching anything he can reach on the desk.

Rhys himself is sitting in an armchair in the lounging area, wrapped in Jack’s jacket, the scent calming him further. He can’t help it but bury his nose in the fabric, relax into the chair. It takes him a few tries to finally get it out of his head, drop the jacket and stand up.

“Daddy, daddy, there are robots! Look, daddy, there are robots and they move stuff with their arms!” Atlas jumps out of Jack’s lap to run to Rhys and pull him to the desk. “Papa, show him the robots!”

“Papa?” Rhys’ eyes narrow at Jack. Atlas always called him father, it was easy to distinguish between the two male parents, and also the traditional way. The only reason to change it would probably be to just undermine Rhys’ choices.

Jack frowns back at him, but only slightly, smiling as soon as Atlas climbs back onto his lap. “Yeah, Atlas decided that this is easier to say, so I’m papa now. You want me to show your dad the robot factory, champ?”

“Yes, that one!” the kid happily chimes, unaware of the small war going on between his parents.

Jack’s intercom dings as he is showing the two Omegas the camera feed from a loader bot factory, a group of scientists wanting to be let in. They’re the same ones who are to solve the double-sided bond mystery, without the Alpha, and so Jack lets them in immediately.

When the scientists see Rhys standing by the CEO’s side, they grow just a tiny bit more uneasy, eyes flickering to the Omega periodically, and Rhys puffs his chest, proud that he taught them a lesson. If there is one dangerous person in the room right now, it’s him, not Jack.

The leading doctor smiles at Rhys and stops a few steps in front of the desk. “Handsome Jack, sir,” she nods to the CEO. “We think we might have discovered the reason for your bonding gland growing.”

“Well, speak,” he motions to her.

One of her colleagues speaks instead. “Eridium, sir. There are unmistakeable traces of Eridium in the tissue around your gland, same like on your— uhm, on the…” He stutters to a stop, getting Rhys’ attention.

“On my…?” Jack asks, his voice calm to not spook the kid watching robots on his monitor, but a threat in his eyes is apparent.

“The-the scar, sir,” the scientist stutters, ducking. Scent of fear fills the room, but nothing happens. “I-I have compared the samples, and they are al-almost identical. The Vault is pro-probably the cause for this.”

“My hypothesis is,” Doctor Beckett steps forward, “that the Eridian technology in the Vault recognised a today’s Alpha’s bonding site as faulty and tried to repair it. It doesn’t explain why did a noticeable change only happen now, but our knowledge of Eridian technology is still only superficial, as well as our knowledge of how the bonding gland in Alphas looked before the great extinction.”

“Yeah, that thing…” Jack muses. “What did you say about your previous research again? What did you have on that matter?”

“Only theories, sir,” the doctor shifts nervously. “I believe that the rare paintings and texts we have from that era describe Omegas as much more common than they are now. After the great extinction, Omegas were born less and less to the point where they are now, only one percent of the universe population. And Alphas stopped being able to feel their mates’ emotions like Omega do.” His eyes flicker to Rhys’ neck briefly.

“I think it happened because of evolution. Families depended on Alphas, and if the provider was mourning, a whole family could die. Omegas might have been less resilient to whatever caused the extinction, and only those Alphas who didn’t die during the mourning phase lived, spread their genes. Omegas’ bonding glands remained the same to ensure they wouldn’t run away from their mates and would continue breeding children.” The last statement seems to not only make Rhys sick, but the doctor too. The Omega decides that he likes the man.

“So, the Vault tried to make me weak?” Jack asks, thoughtfully staring into distance and rubbing his chin.

“I be-believe it tried to fix you, sir,” the doctor stutters, taking a step back.

“That’s kinda counterproductive when the same Vault burned my face, don’t’cha think, pumpkin?” the Alpha smirks. “Well, if you don’t have anything else, you all can go. Beckett, I want you to find more information, and send everything you have so far to me. Go.”

The scientists begin to turn when the one who didn’t say anything the whole time raises a hand. “Uhm, sir? Yo-your son left crayons on my-my desk, a-and I brought them…” they pull out a handful of crayons from the pocket of their coat.

Rhys tenses up. He doesn’t want anyone of them to come near them, no matter how good their work or useful their research. He is about to say something when Jack chuckles. “Atlas, why don’t you go and take your crayons? And don’t forget to say thank you.” He puts the boy on the floor and at the same time reaches and grips Rhys’ wrist tightly in warning.

Reluctantly, Atlas looks at both his parents first, and then walks to the scientist, only as close as necessary. The Beta seems to be nervous when the boy comes close, and the rest of the group takes a step back, all eyes fixed on Rhys. When the little Omega takes his crayons back and whispers a shy thank you, he runs back to his parents, hugging Rhys’ thig tightly and hiding behind him.

“Very well,” Jack praises, reaching to ruffle the boy’s hair.

After the scientists leave, Rhys has to fight hard to hide his anger. Atlas is a little spooked, and so he holds him tight, sat on his hip away from Jack.

* * *

Several hours later, both the Alpha and the Omega were covered in sweat and panting, Jack pounding Rhys’ ass like their lives depended on it, the younger man thrusting back as much as the big hands on his hips allowed him to. There was drool coming out of his mouth, but he didn’t care to stop moaning. He was planning to get angry more often if sex like this would be what settle it every time.

Jack came with a grunt, momentarily falling and crushing the Omega under his weight, pressing him into the pool of potentless come under them. He rubbed his sweaty forehead on the back of the younger man’s neck, thoroughly covering him in the scent of sex.

“Where were you my whole life, pumpkin?” he asks with a breathy chuckle, rolling them over to wait for his knot to release them.

“I can tell you where,” Rhys grumbles, but he sounds so fucked out that it doesn’t even sting.

“Mouthy little shit,” Jack berates him anyway. “I’ve never seen an Omega who was mouthy when hanging off Alpha’s knot.”

“That’s because there is no Omega like me,” Rhys says smugly. “I’m unique, and you love it.”

Jack pretends to think, humming. “No, actually, I think there are Omegas like you, but they end up beaten to obedience or sold into a brothel. You are _sooo_ lucky that you have me. I’m a hero for putting up with you.”

“You know where you can put that hero stuff,” Rhys rolls his eyes, and then yelps as he feels a finger pressing at his already very stretched entrance. “S-stop it! What are you— _Ah_ , stop!”

Jack laughs, tormenting the oversensitive hole for a second longer. “What? I thought you said something about putting a hero somewhere. I figured you want more.”

“Asshole,” Rhys grumbles, once more hating their biology. Sighing and rubbing his temples, he asks: “Remind me, why did we have sex?”

“You wanted it, kitten,” Jack says smugly.

“I wanted to kick you in the balls, not let you knot me.”

“Your body wanted it,” the Alpha corrects, running a finger over the Omega’s bonding site lightly.

Rhys mood only sours. He buries his face into a pillow and shudders. The knot in his ass suddenly feels uncomfortable, unwelcome, and the muscles constrict in an almost painful way. “I hate it,” he mutters. “I don’t know what I ever like on this life. There is… _nothing_ nice about being an Omega.” He feels a hint of guilt from the bond, and that makes him feel even worse.

Jack eases his rapidly softening cock out of his mate first, and then hugs him tighter, scenting his neck but avoiding the sensitive spot. “It’s gonna get better, pumpkin. We need to get used to things, and you will feel good again. Remember, what made you feel good about yourself?”

The Omega needs to think long before he remembers something. “Having my hair grow long when I was free. Wearing beads and feathers and ribbons; bright colours, not soft like what they force on young Omegas. I want to have choice, Jack. Suddenly realising that I’m salivating over your cock and can’t stop it isn’t a choice.”

“What made you happy when you were young?” Jack asks next.

“Eating a bowl of fruit every morning,” Rhys snorts. “And learning anything I could, being more than my parents’ investment.”

“Then I will get you books, ECHO pad, computer, better arm and eye; whatever you need to study,” Jack offers. “Will you feel better, then?”

“I guess,” the Omega shrugs. “Shower and sleep?” he changes the topic, and so they drop it.

* * *

The next day, when Jack comes from work, he finds his Omegas in Atlas’ room in a nest of pillows and blankets. They both have a crazy, eye-hurting combination of clothes on them and beads, feathers and, strangely, paper clips woven into their hair.

“Dress up time?” he guesses.

“Atlas picked up my clothes and I picked his,” Rhys explains with a chuckle. “Then he decided to help me with the hair and stole paperclips from your desk.” He gently removes one clip from the boy’s hair, careful not to wake him up. “Did you eat? There are some leftovers in the kitchen.”

“I had dinner,” Jack answers. He crouches at the edge of the nest, watching the two. Something warm spreads in his chest at the sight, battling an uneasy feeling in his belly that he has no idea where is coming from.

“So,” Rhys says suddenly. “I have an offer.” Jack raises an eyebrow. “I’ll let you in under two conditions. One, you help me get those things off my hair; and two, you stay here with Atlas while I run to the toilet and pray it’s not too late. He’s been asleep for three hours now, and I really need to go.”

Jack has to muffle his laughter, but he nods, reaching carefully to untangle a paperclip from the Omega’s soft brown hair. Rhys shies away, though. “Bathroom first,” he says, causing more laughter to bubble in Jack’s chest.

The Alpha enters the nest, mindful of everything he might move in a wrong way and earn a quick way out. Rhys puts Atlas in his arms and quickly runs off. When he comes back, they both work on removing the objects from Atlas’ hair at first, and then Rhys’. Jack reaches out for the kid’s pyjama and takes off most of his clothes, as does Rhys, and when they are more or less comfortable, they all sleep in the nest. Rhys looks happy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next update should be on Thursday, but there are some complications, and I might not be able to make it happen. :/ Tell me what you think so far. I love all your comments. <3


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I was late; I almost lost faith in this story. ^.^" Buuuut, I managed to hype myself up and finish it. Here we go.

Supposedly one day before Rhys’ heat, when everything is already planned and prepared, and he can only wait, pace around, be nervous or try and distract himself with work (data-mining and data analysis; definitely not hacking into media and getting market info for Hyperion, nope), Jack suddenly comes home from work. Rhys is with Atlas in his room, playing with some of the many toys the boy now has, when he hears door opening and closing, hasty steps and the bedroom door being locked.

“What was that?” Atlas asks, curiously walking to the door and peeking out into the living room. He makes a face and turns away, nose scrunched up. “What is that smell, dad?”

Rhys frowns, sniffing, but he doesn’t smell anything unusual. A mixed scent of one Alpha, two Omegas, and a trace of Vaughn’s scent. Just as he is about to stand up and go looking for Jack, his ECHO pad beeps on the living room coffee table where he left it. It keeps beeping, and so he goes there first.

When he walks into the big room, goosebumps appear on his skin, and his instincts tell him to hide. So, _that_ smell. Though, he still doesn’t really smell anything unusual. But it’s definitely there.

He reaches for the ECHO pad quickly and retreats to the child’s room, closing the door. The beeping turns out to be messages from Jack. They are typed in haste or by a shaky hand, most of them hard to read, the rest confusing.

> snd atl to van  
> qucik  
> quick  
> his ovrnght bag and all  
> tyue´ww beta guard at door, he take you  
> d not come nr bedrooom or bad thing happen  
> quik  
> mve  
> move  
> send him away and come back

“What’s going on, dad?” the kid asks nervously. The messages keep coming, all of them the same, and Rhys decides that taking Atlas somewhere safe is a good idea no matter what is happening. It’s weird.

“You will go to Uncle Vaughn now, okay?” he smiles weakly. Quickly collecting all the stuff he will need, he ushers Atlas out of the penthouse. A Beta guard is standing there, looking confused and uneasy.

“Sir, I shall escort you and your son to apartment 4C,” he informs him, saluting.

Rhys nods and follows the man, holding Atlas in his arms. “Who gave you the order?” he asks, to be sure.

“Handsome Jack, sir.”

“Personally?”

There is a second of hesitation, and then: “Yes. He was acting… a little distracted. My superior had to search for Mr Vaughn’s address in the database, because the CEO didn’t mention it.”

The walk is quick, as well as the descend of the elevator, and in no time, they are standing by the door. Vaughn is already standing there, in work clothes and slightly panting. “Rhys, what’s going on?”

“Not sure,” he says and kisses Atlas’ forehead. “Be good with uncle, yes? I’ll see you in a week.” _Hopefully_. He hands him over and quickly returns to the penthouse, escorted by the Beta again.

Something had changed, he notices instantly. As the door closes, Jack’s scent hits him hard, harder than ever. There is arousal in the air, but mainly Alpha testosterone, power and danger. He almost wants to turn and run, but he can’t. The same instinct that warns him of the danger is telling him to get to his knees, present himself for the Alpha. Irrationally, he feels slick gathering between his ass cheeks.

A small sound has him startling and yelping, and he sees Jack walk into the room from the kitchen. His feet are bare, his steps incredibly soft. There is only his sweater on his upper body, but it’s almost completely torn in the middle, falling off his shoulder. His body is flushed, red, like he had a fever.

“Rhysie…” he murmurs, something sweet and calling in his voice that has the Omega walking towards him, even though everything is wrong. “There you are, my little mate. Good Omega.” There is something new in the old praise, probably the tone. A sweet calling, like a siren’s song, lulling Rhys. It’s wrong.

When there are only a few feet separating them, Rhys notices another important detail. Critical detail. Jack’s pants are also torn open – _even the leather belt is torn in half_ – and his cock is standing proud, fully hard and leaking precome.

Rhys stops, eyes switching between staring at the Alpha and his cock. Jack tuts at him, coos. “Come here, Rhysie.” It’s hard to disobey, but Rhys doesn’t get the choice anyway, because in the next second, Jack pounces on him.

Partially, Rhys probably expects to be killed, torn to shreds. His more rational part expects sex. But Jack hugs him – carefully, not crushingly hard – and picks him up, carrying him to their bedroom while stilly murmuring sweetly and cooing.

The Alpha doesn’t respond to anything Rhys says, not that he tries to say much, too confused, shocked and aroused. The scent is even richer in the bedroom, but Rhys notices the important things first, this time. Mainly, the bed is a mess. One might say a nest, but essentially, just a mess of pillows, blankets and clothes from all members of the family.

The next disturbing thing is Jack’s revolver laying on a chest of drawers close by the door. Then, within the reach of the bed, there is a pile of food and water bottles they had gotten for the heat. It all looks like Jack was planning on barricading them in the room.

Rhys is softly laid on the bed, and in contrary to that, Jack starts harshly tearing the clothes off him, growling whenever the younger man moves in whichever direction, helping or not. The raw want and lust in the Alpha’s eyes make heat pool in the pit of Rhys’ belly, and he whimpers, spreading his legs and baring his throat to the Alpha to urge him on. He is rewarded by gentle kisses, most targeted on hid bonding site.

To the Omega’s annoyance, Jack doesn’t fuck him. He lowers himself until his hot breath is teasing the slick hole, puts Rhys’ thighs on his shoulders and holds his cheeks open with both hands. He starts eating him out, both satisfying and unsatisfying for the Omega. “Jack, please,” he whimpers, only causing the Alpha to stop shortly to shush him. “Jack, _Alpha_ , I— I need _you_ , please.” No reaction. Rhys decides for dirtier tricks, arousal already threatening to burn him alive. He produces the most submissive voice he is capable of, pathetically whimpers. “Alpha, please, I need your cock,” he almost sobs. “I feel hot, I need you, please, help.”

It’s not exactly true, his heat hadn’t begun yet, but it has Jack finally stopping his teasing and pulling himself up. He positions himself at the Omega’s slick, leaking entrance and slowly pushes in. Jack is too careful, but he doesn’t allow his mate to thrust and meet his movements, carefully holding his hips down. He soothes and praises him for every centimetre Rhys takes, until the Omega worries that he might go crazy before the dick is finally inside him.

Rhys groans when Jack sets a slow pace, deliberately aiming for his sweet spot, but going too slow to push him over the edge he’d been balancing on for quite some time now. “Faster, please,” he whimpers, and to his surprise, Jack obeys instantly. “Kiss me,” he says next, and Jack does, kissing his lips, his cheeks, jaw, neck, lips again. That… that feels nice. It feels almost like… power.

“More, Jack, please,” he almost orders, wrapping his legs around the Alpha. Soon, the sound of hips meeting hips echoes in the room, filthy and hot. Rhys moans, feels the orgasm so close; he’s clenching around the cock in his ass…

Jack stops moving. “Wha—” He doesn’t get a chance to ask what the hell before Jack is kissing him and stroking hair out of his forehead, soothing him and praising him for being a good little Omega. The affections are nice and sweet, but Rhys tries to squirm away. “Jack, keep going, please, Alpha,” he implores, to no avail.

“Shh, Rhysie, calm down, shh. Good boy, shh, good little Omega. Mine, mine, my pretty little mate,” Jack keeps cooing at him and soothing him, waiting for him to calm down or whatever. Rhys forces himself to relax, go limp and pliant, letting the Alpha to take the lead, and only then does Jack start moving again. _Slowly_.

It takes eternity for the Alpha to be satisfied. He seems to be determined to pleasure – _torture_ – his mate first, bringing him close to orgasm and then helping him calm down. Rhys distantly wonders if Jack read some stupid article about forcing Omegas to go into a heat, because this definitely is a way, but the thought grows less important as everything is pushed out by the desperate need to come.

He is sobbing now, babbling nonsense, begging for the Alpha’s knot. He can’t be soothed, panting and almost hyperventilating every time Jack slows down. He doesn’t even hate the need to be knotted anymore, he wants it heartily, knowing that knot means coming, because the Alpha won’t move away.

Jack manoeuvres him on all fours, and Rhys whimpers and shies away when the Alpha starts sucking at his bonding site, a spot he would normally try to avoid. Jack’s hips start moving faster again, and Rhys is torn between trying to escape it, his insides oversensitive, or thrust back. He begs and cries as he feels the orgasm nearing for what feels like the hundredth time, already getting ready to whimper and cry when Jack stops, but the Alpha keeps going. He thrusts hard into Rhys’ prostate and the Omega finally comes just as Jack’s knot starts swelling.

The feeling is incredible. It’s like his orgasm lasted ages, or maybe there are two orgasms close after one another. Rhys would collapse if Jack didn’t catch him, pulling him up until they are both kneeling/sitting, back to chest. He moves one hand on the Omega’s belly, spreading his fingers and covering it. Rhys whimpers when Jack starts gently pressing on his belly, and the Alpha instantly stops, shushing him and soothing. “You did good, Rhysie, you did so good. My good little Omega, so good, good, good boy. So pretty.” He pauses, looking down on his hand, frowning slightly. “You are so small, babe. I need to protect you.”

Rhys would probably say something snarky if his brain wasn’t fried. For probably the first time, he feels like the knot is the only thing he needs in life, satisfied in the Alpha’s hands. He falls asleep when they lay down and lets his bondmate do whatever his insane mind desires. Distantly, he realises that the only feedback he got from their bond was a weak hint of arousal and love, nothing of the regular intensity.

Well, those are problems of a Rhys that didn’t get fucked within the inch of his life, not his.

* * *

Rhys wakes up just when Jack is pulling out. He doesn’t feel as worn out as he expected; instead, he already needs more. Jack stills behind him and shifts, pressing his nose to the Omega’s neck and inhaling deeply. “You are in a heat,” he notes.

Before he can complain, ask Jack if he is finally alright, or do anything, the Alpha has him on his stomach and is pushing into him. Not that the Omega minds.

This time, there is no torture or teasing. Jack fucks him with passion and hunger, bringing him to two orgasms before knotting him. There is still a lot of praise, though, unusually sweet, sticky praise. And if Rhys wasn’t already deep in the heat, he would growl at Jack for some of the things he says, especially the ones about _going into a heat for his Alpha like a good little Omega_. Rhys didn’t ask for this. But he is satisfied and knotted, and so he lays still and lets Jack pamper him.

The rest of the heat are flashes and pictures, much like the last time. Jack fucking him, feeding him, making him drink and carrying him to the bathtub. He remembers, not surely, that they spent at least three days in the bedroom only. He remembers Jack pacing around the room nervously, reacting to any sound his mate made and running to him to fulfil his every wish.

His belly feels swollen most of the time, full of come. Jack wants him to lay on his stomach with a pillow under his hips, and Rhys, of course, obeys like a good little Omega. He is not at all sure about this one, because it’s too absurd, but he even remembers Jack pushing the come that leaked out of him while they walked into a bathroom back in with two fingers and keeping them in while he stroked his dick to orgasm, telling him to try and clench down, keep it in. That’s way. Too. Fucking. Crazy.

The first sane memory he has is waking up next to snoring Jack. No, scratch that. The _first_ sane memory he is sure about is Jack waking him up by shaking his shoulder.

“Kitten, sweetheart, pumpkin pie, sugar plum, kitten,” he keeps muttering until he finally gets the younger man’s attention. “Finally! I need you to tell me where are you hurt, honey comb. Can you do that? What hurts?”

Groaning, Rhys does an involuntary inventory check. “Ass hurts,” he mumbles. “Belly feels weird.”

“Like internal bleeding?” the Alpha asks, already reaching for his comm.

“Like having my insides stretched by too much cum, you asshat,” he rolls his eyes. “I don’t have internal bleeding.”

“Okay,” Jack sighs, putting the comm away but within reach. “What else?”

“Nipples hurt,” Rhys hisses as he touches one. Chaffed. “Thirst—” Before he even finishes, Jack has a bottle of water in his hand. “And tired,” Rhys adds when he drinks enough.

“Good, get some sleep.” Jack kisses his forehead and walks into their bathroom, searching for something. _Idiot_ , Rhys thinks. His Omega instincts won’t let him sleep without an Alpha nearby when his heat didn’t fully leave yet.

Jack is back soon with handful of cremes and salves, and he starts applying them all over Rhys, covering him in the soothing scent of herbs and something sweet. All aches go away soon, and the Omega can rest; of course, only to wake up aroused and desiring the Alpha’s knot.

* * *

When it’s truly over and Rhys gained the energy back, the scent of heat is out of the house and they have an hour before Vaughn brings Atlas home, the Omega decides that this is the right time to confront the Alpha.

Jack obviously knows what is coming. He still looks guilty, tends to the Omega’s every wish; he refuses to be shooed away, insisting that he helps the younger man with everything, making sure he doesn’t grow tired or something hurts. When Rhys stands in front of him, slightly leaning on his tiptoes and puffing his chest, he avoids his gaze.

“Jack,” Rhys says, tone exasperated, “will you finally, _please_ , tell me what happened?”

As expected, the Alpha tries to avoid it. “What do—”

“If you ask me what do I mean, I’m not sleeping with you for a month, Jack,” Rhys threatens. “Tell me what happened. Why did you burst through the door smelling like an Alpha on steroids, why did you barricade us in the bedroom, why did you try and force me into heat sooner?” He taps his foot impatiently, folding his arms. “Well…?”

Sighing, the CEO gives up. “Fine… Remember the reports Beckett keeps sending me? They mention a thing called ‘ruts’ that only happens to bonded Alphas. Or happened, before the extinction. Well, apparently, since I was ‘repaired’ by the Vault, I’m gonna have ruts now, too.” New waves of guilt hit Rhys through the bond, the connection much clearer than it was a week ago when this started. “Did I… Did I hurt you?” Jack asks, looking Rhys up and down for the billionth time in concern. “What did I do? I don’t remember much from the first day of your heat…”

The Omega’s posture relaxes slightly, seeing the worry behind the words. He hugs his mate and noses at his neck, sighing. “You didn’t hurt me. You were overly gentle. I would expect you to just force me when you were so full of testosterone, but you were trying to be as nice as possible when you edged me.”

“Alphas aren’t just aggressive knotheads, you know,” Jack huffs, a little offended. “It’s instinct to care for our mates if we think they might be pregnant. And if Beckett is correct, the point of a rut is to get a mate pregnant.”

The thought has Rhys mindlessly stroking his belly, imagining carrying a baby again. It was hard with Atlas, alone, longing for his Alpha. But now, with Jack, it would probably be much more pleasant. He hopes that it will work, and they will have more kids. The Omega always wanted more, like his dad, who he knew to have five, or more. Scattered across the universe but his.

“What’cha thinkin', darlin? You smell like a happy Omega,” Jack hums.

“If I get pregnant, will you be there for me?” Rhys asks, leaning into his Alpha’s arms more.

“Always,” the CEO promises.

* * *

Three days later when Atlas finally agrees to stop crawling into his parents' bed for night, but he is not comfortable being away from Rhys yet, the CEO comes home to find his boys in the living room in a pillow fortress again, smaller this time. No signs forbid him to enter, but he still remains on the border, not daring to trespass without an explicit invitation.

Peeking inside, Jack finds Atlas clad in one of his long white shirts, sleeves rolled up high, up to his shoulders. He has a cloth drenched in water and dripping all over the pillows on the floor in his hands. Rhys is lying comfortably among the pillows, covered by so many blankets that even the Omega looks like he is too hot. “Jack, help,” he pleads, suppressing giggles. He yelps and giggles more when his son presses the cold cloth on his forehead.

“Papa, daddy is sick!” Atlas explains, a wide smile on his face. “I’m his personal doctor!”

“Oh no,” Jack exclaims in distress. “Tell me, doctor, what’s wrong with my beautiful mate? Is it serious? What do you need to cure him? Money? I have plenty of those! Chocolate chip cookies? Toys? Tell me, doctor!” With the last words he snatches the boy and pulls him to a hug, gasping when Atlas’ cold hands touch his neck.

Atlas giggles wildly and pulls away from all the kisses Jack tries to give him. “Stop it, pa! Our patient needs attention! I think that he needs...” he looks around, “more pillows!”

“Why don’t you bring some out of your room, then?” Jack suggested, hoping that he will get the boy to leave for a second.

“Okay!” Atlas runs out of the nest, the long shirt flapping like wings behind him.

“Help me, Jack,” Rhys groans and takes the damp cloth off his forehead. “He’s been insisting on playing doctor for past six hours, and I can’t anymore!”

“I’ll do whatever I can,” the Alpha promises, muffling laughter. His amusement doesn’t really spark hope in the Omega.

When Atlas comes back, carrying as many pillows as he is capable of, Jack pulls him to his lap. “Say, doctor, what are the patient’s symptoms?”

“His scent is weird!” Atlas explains with a serious face.

“Is it now?” Jack’s eyes lock with Rhys’, a dark glint appearing in them. The Omega looks slightly confused, shifting under the gaze. “You know, I might know just what the problem is. Rhysie, can you come here?”

Hesitantly, the younger man gets from under the blankets, receiving a pouty glare from his son as sits next to the Alpha. Jack leans in, nudging his chin to the side with the tip of his nose, and when the Omega bares his throat, he inhales. A low growl builds in Jack’s chest, and he has to suppress it to not scare their son.

“Atlas, go play to your room for a while,” he says in the Alpha voice the boy can’t yet argue with. “You can choose what will we have for dinner. I’ll make sure your dad is alright, okay?”

“Okay,” the kid nods and runs off.

Immediately, Jack has Rhys in his arms and is carrying him to their bedroom. The Omega squeaks when he is picked up, arms going around his mate’s neck instinctively. “Ja-Jack?” he asks, but the Alpha only growls.

In the bedroom, the Omega is pressed face down in the middle of the mattress. Jack doesn’t bother with any preamble, and he tugs his mate’s sweatpants and underwear down just enough to reveal his ass. With the help of lube, he quickly stretches him open, all the while keeping him in that position with one strong hand on the back of his neck.

Rhys can only moan and lay there when Jack fucks him, the Alpha not allowing him any movement. Contrary to the harsh, fast slap of his hips, Jack’s hand on the Omega’s dick is gentle as he strokes him to orgasm.

It only takes a few minutes for the Alpha to come, growling _mine_ and _good little Omega_. When his knot swells in the Omega, they both roll on their sides. Jack hugs his mate protectively, one hand on his stomach, the other under his head and resting on his chest. He noses and mouths at his neck, murmuring praise, his smile audible in the sweet words.

“We are going to have a baby,” he hums, smiling even wider. “Did you know it?”

“Honestly, no,” the Omega chuckles breathily. “When Atlas told me that my scent is different, I thought about it, but there wasn’t any nausea or the feeling that I need to build a nest and wait there for my Alpha, like I had with Atlas, so I ruled it out, thought that it’s just some change after heat.”

“I’m pretty sure this is pregnant Omega scent, babe,” Jack chuckles and presses his nose to the younger man’s neck again. “We are going to have a baby…”

* * *

“Just to be clear, I didn’t miss nausea. I just mentioned it!” Rhys whines and groans as Jack helps him get up from the floor of the bathroom. He mentioned the symptom yesterday, saying that it’s weird that it’s still not happening, because with Atlas it came soon. And here they are now.

After brushing his teeth and drinking some water, Rhys returns to the nest he built yesterday. The Alpha was late at work, and so he felt the need to build a safe place for him and his kids. Atlas loved it.

“Crackers, apples and water for the princess,” Jack chimes as he brings the named things to the nest. He doesn’t need to wait for the Omega to invite him in, because he’d already been there and his scent is all over the place, so his presence shouldn’t be disturbing. Otherwise, the Omega would abandon the nest, not feeling safe, which would be a shame. Jack believes that Rhys secretly prides himself in his nests, always building better and better ones for himself and his son.

“Thank you,” Rhys hums, mouth already full of the light breakfast. Atlas is still sleeping in the corner, undisturbed by the commotions. “I really hoped the nausea won’t appear when I have you here.” As if to stress the point, he leans in and rubs his cheek against the Alpha’s, mixing their scents.

“That would be too easy,” Jack laughs, subconsciously craning his neck, so the Omega has better access. “Besides, it will go away soon, and then you will be just a happy Omega, spoiled rotten, big with my pup and so beautiful.”

Love pours through the bond, resonating and almost overwhelming them both with the shared feeling.

* * *

Jack knows that his Omega wants something from him when he sees dinner ready on the table, Rhys wearing tight jeans and a shirt with top four buttons left open, revealing the blue tattoo. The younger man usually gives him coy smiles through the whole dinner, cranes his neck in just the right way to show off the bitemark over his black tattoo. If he wants something really big or expensive, he usually puts Atlas to bed early and then shows his mate his fantastic blowjob skills, or they end up sweaty on the bed after what the Alpha swears was the best sex of his life.

So, as they lay knotted in the bed, Rhys lying on Jack’s chest after riding him, sending him to heaven and back, he expects the conversation to come. Rhys starts simply. “So, one of the shops in the higher levels of Helios sent us the designs of the next year’s collection...”

“Mm-hm?” he hums, knowing that Rhys doesn’t need his approval to talk; he’ll just talk until he gets what he wants, not hesitating to force another round on Jack.

“The designs for kids they showed me were really nice...” he says nonchalantly.

“Just order it, pumpkin,” he sighs. “They'll deliver it within two weeks, no matter when it’s planned to be released.”

Rhys hesitates but continues. “There are five sets of clothes. One of them is basically a small version of your suit; it’s awesome! And—”

Opening one eye to give the Omega a sceptical look, because his hero worship isn’t big enough to be interested in this, Jack carefully asks: “How much?”

Rhys blushes, but he is determined to get whatever he wants. “Sixty-three thousand, give or take...” He makes sure to expose his neck to the Alpha and clench down on the knot slightly, batting his eyelashes until the CEO finally groans a yes. “Thank you, Alpha!” he kisses him and then finally relaxes above him, resting his head on the moving chest.

“Sixty— Babe, that’s more than all of your clothes combined costed so far!” He shakes his head in disbelief.

“But it’s for Atlas,” Rhys pouts. “I want him to have something nice… And it’s cute.”

Flicking his nose, Jack chuckles. “And I’ll get it for you, don’t you worry. I just want to point out that you really got to live your best Omega life. You have an apex bonded Alpha wrapped around your little finger, you are knocked up again, and you have anything your sweet heart desires.”

“And I’m happy for it; happy that I have you, Jack,” the Omega reminds him.

Allowing himself a moment of honesty, Jack smiles softly and says: “I’m happy that I have you too. I don’t want to know where I would be without you. I... I love you.”

* * *

Sometimes, Rhys crosses a line. Jack is patient with him, grits his teeth through the Omega’s moods and outbursts when he acts more like a stubborn Alpha then a bonded Omega. But his patience runs out on occasions.

“Lean on something and spread your legs,” he orders as he pulls the belt from the Omega’s pants and tugs them down.

Rhys obeys, slightly trembling after all fight left him. “Jack, I’m sorry. It won’t happen again,” he pleads, looking over his shoulder with watery eyes as he braces himself on the chest of drawers in their room.

“Yeah, no,” Jack shuts him down. “You said that twenty times already, and you still do it again and again, driving me mad and making a fool of me in front of my underlings. You need another lesson in trust and proper Omega behaviour.”

“Count,” the Alpha orders as he swings the belt, hitting his mate’s thighs. Rhys’ voice is soft and shaky, and Jack uses the counting to listen carefully for any indication that it’s too much. He stops at fifteen when Rhys’ breathing sounds too ragged.

“I’m sorry, Alpha,” the younger man whimpers, shying away from Jack’s touch when he wants to help him on the bed. He continues trembling and babbling even when the Alpha assures him that it’s over, and so Jack does the thing he doesn’t like to do and massages Rhys’ bonding site with two fingers, forcing him to relax and submit.

After applying soothing crème to the Omega’s ass, Jack cleans the wounds he received earlier, especially the brand new bite on his hand, not far from where he remembers it being six years ago.

He shouldn’t have allowed Rhys to go to the doctor check-up with Atlas in the first place. One parent was enough to scare the doctor, but _Handsome Jack’s wild Omega_ really did the trick, and the old Beta accidentally stepped on the kid’s foot while he was looking over his shoulder to make sure Rhys is not after him. Sure enough, when Atlas cried out, more because of an instinct than any real pain, Rhys snapped.

After taking care of his abused hands, Jack went into the bedroom. He helped Rhys pull his pants up carefully and sat next to him, stroking his short hair that he got cut recently. Now Rhys looked even more like some Alpha or Beta worker after work, hair slicked back and a light blue shirt with a tie he didn’t yet bother to take off. Jack loosened it for him and got back to comforting him.

“You know why I did this, right?” he asks, momentarily doubting himself. His raising told him that this is right, exactly the way Omegas should be treated, and not even his instincts fought him on that. But that aching thing in his chest didn’t like it when Rhys got hurt in any way for just being himself.

Slowly, the Omega nodded. “I know, Alpha… I was bad again. I’m sorry—” The end of the sentence got cut short by a sob. Jack immediately started soothing, telling his mate that he was good, that he is a good Omega, and the Alpha knows that he is trying to get better.

Because Rhys wasn’t calming down, Jack leaned down and kissed the sensitive spot on his neck one more time, urging Rhys to relax. He sucked at the nerve until the younger man stopped whimpering and then he kissed his temple apologetically. He didn’t want Rhys to be upset. His belly was already showing, the tiniest bump, and stress wasn’t good for him. But trying to gut anyone who comes near his son was worse, in Jack’s book.

“Do you want me to get you anything?”

Rhys looked almost catatonic, staring into the distance. It took him some time to form a sensible thought and even longer to say it, but Jack was patient. In the end, he said only one word. “Atlas.”

Jack nodded. “I’ll get him. Just wait here.”

When the Alpha returned with their son in his arms, Atlas almost jumped out. He ran to his dad, cuddling next to him, rubbing his face on his chest and under his chin to comfort him. “Don’t be scared, daddy,” he whispered. “I’m alright. Don’t be scared, please.”

Rhys didn’t say anything, only closed his eyes and hugged him.

* * *

Rhys spends the next week sleeping in a nest in one of the guest rooms. It’s a little too small for a group of three, but when Jack is asked to join his Omegas there, he obeys, curling around them and protecting their nest.

When Rhys abandons the nest and moves to the bedroom again, he is just happy that he gets his sweaters back, because the Omega used all of them. He doesn’t notice anything unusual, not yet.

The Omega’s belly grows fast, and the doctors confirm that Rhys is carrying twins. None of the check-ups go well, as the Omega is too nervous and even Jack falls victim to his own instincts, snarling at doctors when they come close, set on edge by his mate’s distress.

A strategy that seems to work is for Jack to massage the Omega’s bonding site through the whole doctor visit, calming him enough so his distressed scent doesn’t upset the Alpha, but that leads to Rhys not talking to Jack for the rest of the day.

Rhys builds better and better nests almost every day until he suddenly stops for good when they reach the five month mark. Jack, being an idiot and rightfully hating himself for it, doesn’t notice the change at first.

When none of his clothes or pillows disappears for a week, he frowns but shrugs it off. He even thinks that Rhys might be feeling better because he doesn’t cry that often. The hormones caused the Omega to cry quite a lot in the past months, for whichever stupid reason, and Jack and Atlas were always there to soothe him. Even the young boy, who recently turned six, learned to gently run his nose on his father’s neck to soothe him when he was upset; it was an instinct for Alphas, Betas and Omegas to help in this way.

That Rhys suddenly refused to have sex with the Alpha didn’t bother Jack at all, because the Omega’s belly was surely making it uncomfortable for his mate, and who would force him?

But then Rhys stopped caring for Atlas.

At first just refused to play with him when the boy asked, something that Rhys never did before. Then he fell asleep on the sofa while he was home alone with the boy, something his instincts never allowed. And then he started begging Vaughn to come look after the boy more and more often to the point he almost never spent time with him alone.

The first time Jack confronted Rhys about it, the Omega started crying and wouldn’t stop until Jack kissed the sensitive spot on his neck and lulled him to sleep. He took their son to work with him the next day, hoping that his mate will get better after a full day of rest. But he didn’t.

* * *

“Rhysie, babycakes…” the Alpha pleaded, trying to get his mate to stop pretending that he is sleeping. “Open your eyes, darling. I know you are awake; I feel you through the bond.” The only answer he received was a small whimper, Rhys turning on his other side, away from the Alpha, and the feed from the bond growing weaker. Jack knew that if it let him experience the full force of the pregnant Omega’s emotions, he would crumple to the floor and cry, probably, and this was normal for them by this point. Still, it made him even more nervous now.

“Pumpkin pie,” he pleaded again, gently stroking the Omega’s back. Rhys leaned into the touch almost desperately. “You’ve been in bed the whole day. Don’t you want to get up and help me and Atlas cook dinner?” At the mention of their son Rhys whimpered again and pulled away, pulling blankets over his head.

Sighing, Jack left him alone for now. While he and Atlas prepared lasagne for dinner, he thought about what to do, because something was obviously wrong with Rhys. And if all the things he learned about himself in the past months were a clue, he was probably the cause for it.

Taking him to a doctor seemed impossible. He had problems getting Rhys out of bed for meals, so getting him out of the penthouse would be a feat too stressing or dangerous for everyone included. Taking a strange person into the house would stress the Omega too, but it would also be the only way to have him checked-up by a doctor, and so he left that option open.

Rhys hugged his Alpha all night like he was about to leave him, and he whimpered any time Jack’s hand came near his neck or accidentally came close to his lower parts. This only confused and upset the Alpha further. And upset Handsome Jack is unpredictable Handsome Jack, and so the next day he called Timothy, Aurelia, Wilhelm and Nisha, telling them that they need to open another Vault, find some stupid Eridian and ask them what the hell did they do to Jack that in turn did this to Rhys.

His friends arrived like he wanted, but they didn’t seem too happy about going on another adventure with him. He received nervous looks and mumbled, unfinished sentences, until Timothy got the courage and told him that this won’t solve anything, and he should be home with his mate. The three other Alphas agreed with him, nodding and urging Jack to cancel his spontaneous plan.

“It’s the stupid aliens who caused this!” the CEO snarled. “Don’t you want to help me? To help Rhys?”

Timothy was the only one who ever met the Omega, and although he only talked to him briefly, he liked the man. Mainly for the fire that Jack loved. He definitely understood what’s so special about this Omega. Thanks to that, he knew that this is not about _the stupid aliens_.

“Jack, Rhys needs you, not being left alone while you hunt for a Vault,” he said gently. Nisha, being the only one of the four adventurers who had an Omega, backed him up on that. “I don’t think the Eridians caused this,” he continued. “I think that he is just… sad. Unhappy with his life, if I know anything about him.”

“But Omegas nest more when they are sad; they don’t stop,” Aurelia argued. “My family owns many Omegas, and this had never happened to us.”

“But Rhys is no ordinary Omega, right?” Tim turned to Jack.

“No,” the CEO shook his head, slowly connecting the clues in his head. “He’s always had more of an Alpha in him.”

“What does that mean?” the lady asked, not liking that someone knows more about Omegas when her family owned so many of them, and they were proud of that fact. “What’s special about your Omega?”

“He is not just _my_ Omega. He is _his own_ person,” Jack growled lightly. “Not an asset. Rhys, he… he hates his nature. Oh fuck, I was _so_ stupid!” His hands fly to his hair and tug. “This is my fault, fuck! I shouldn’t have ever bonded him, shouldn’t’ve pushed him so far!”

The CEO ran off, back to his penthouse, while Tim sighed and headed to his chair, knowing well that he would be asked to stay anyway, if his boss didn’t have his head full of more important things.

“So, I guess we aren’t getting paid for this gig,” Wilhelm grumbled, heading to the shuttle bay.

“Why wouldn’t you?” Tim asks, putting on his best Jack face. “I’m the CEO of the richest company in the universe. I can afford to pay you for nothing.” He is smirking as he starts transferring the money (not too much, but enough to make the journey worth it) to their accounts. He loves when Jack lets him look over Hyperion.

* * *

Hours later, Jack is trying to lure Rhys into a “nest” he made. An Omega will never feel fully comfortable in a nest an Alpha built, but that can’t stop Jack from trying. After all, he is still proud of the nest he built when the rut hit him. Rhys told him that it was terrible, and it wasn’t a nest at all, but Jack was sure it looked exactly like one he saw before.

Rhys wasn’t interested in nesting, however. He was content just laying curled into a ball under Jack’s blanket, shivering, because he didn’t have any heat source, but engulfed in the Alpha’s scent and calm.

“Hey, how about chocolate ice-cream?” Jack suggested. “If you come sit in the living room with me, we can eat ice-cream there.”

Rhys rolled onto his other side, though Jack felt a brief surge of craving ice-cream, a feeling he recognised too well thanks to the pregnant man. If Rhys pulled the blankets around him closer, it would be almost like nesting (in Jack’s book, anyway), but the Omega kept them loose.

“Come on, babe. Just give it a try… Please…” Jack was stubborn enough to stay there pleading with his Omega for the rest of the day, but Atlas was waiting for them in the living room, watching a movie. He helped Jack build the nest, and the Alpha promised he will bring his dad soon. He sighed, kissed the back of Rhys’ head, pulled a heated blanket over him and left, reminding him that they will be in the living room.

Atlas obviously missed his dad, but thankfully, he thought that this behaviour is normal for pregnant Omegas, so it didn’t upset him too much. Jack didn’t want to tell the innocent boy that his dad abandoned him because the Alpha forced him to submit one too many times.

They both sat in the pillow fortress and watched a movie about animals opening a Vault, so obviously inspired by Jack’s own heroic story, when the Alpha’s ears noticed the soft sound of footsteps. He turned in the direction to see Rhys hesitantly walking towards them.

Jack helped Rhys get comfortable, and then he hugged him carefully. He didn’t touch his belly. Hasn’t touched it in weeks, actually. Rhys always got nervous when someone touched him there, and so Jack stopped. Now he saw that it was probably another sign of the same problem, and he felt dumb for ignoring it, not talking about it. Rhys loved to be touched and cuddled, but he didn’t like being reminded of his nature.

Atlas fell asleep before the movie was over, his head resting on Rhys’ thigh. The Omega moved his son carefully on Jack, telling him that they can stay here, but he is going to bed again.

The Alpha sighed as he watched the Omega wobble to their bedroom. Rhys’ hand never once came to rest on his stomach like it used to. He really fucked up, managed to take all the joy from the Omega’s life.

After putting Atlas to bed, Jack came into their bedroom to find the Omega curled up and shivering once again. He joined him on the bed, carefully holding him and keeping him warm. Rhys was pretending to be asleep once again – although quite lamely, because he leaned into the touches eagerly – but Jack knew he would listen.

“I’ll fix this, Rhysie,” he promised. “I’ll fix everything.”

* * *

Jack lured Rhys to the living room for some nesting and TV the next day, and the day after that. Each time, he and Atlas built the nest, and it was terrible, mainly because the boy tried to follow his father’s style more than his own instincts.

On the fourth day, Rhys had built a nest just big enough for three before Jack and Atlas got back from the office. He didn’t step inside until the Alpha and their son were seated, but when he did, he visibly relaxed. Jack grinned, kissing his mate happily. This was a step forward.

“Feelin’ safe?” he asked, hugging the Omega. Rhys’ smile fell a little, and it wiped the smugness off the Alpha’s face instantly. “It’s alright, pumpkin. You built us a nice nest. I feel safe here too.”

“Me too!” Atlas chimed in. “I love it when you build nests we can sleep in, daddy!”

That helped a little and Rhys relaxed again. That night, even Rhys fell asleep in the nest, in the shared warmth of his family. But if Jack thought that the battle is half-won, he was just tired and naïve.

* * *

Rhys was crying and Jack was stuck. Literally.

The Omega woke up from a heat dream. Those sometimes happened, for multiple reasons. During pregnancy they were a little bit more common to keep the Alpha’s interest. Omegas wake up horny from a lustful dream, aching for their Alpha. Jack was ready to help, like he always did, but Rhys refused to succumb to it.

Every time Jack moved closer, the Omega growled and hissed to shoo him away. At the same time his body called for the Alpha, however. The air was filled with arousal, Rhys’ skin was flushed, his temperature raising. He was whimpering, in pain, the heat burning him from the inside, but he just wouldn’t accept help.

They slept in a nest of pillows next to their bed that night, and Jack was sleeping by the wall, so now he was stuck between the wall and a hissing Omega, unable to comfort his mate or get him something that would help. Reasoning of course didn’t work, nor did any hard voice commanding the Omega to obedience. It only caused the younger man to cry more.

“Rhysie,” Jack spoke softly. “Please, let me help.”

The Omega shook his head. “N-no. I don’t wan-want to. No...”

“Baby, you are hot, you need to cool down,” he insisted gently. “Let me bring you a wet cloth, hmm?”

No answer. But when the Alpha tried to get up, the Omega panicked and lashed out at him. He was simply stuck.

Jack, or at least his inner Alpha, knew what to do. The Omega was in no state to make decisions, and a simple touch on the bonding site would help him relax, make him receptive to anything the Alpha wanted or needed to do. But if Jack used Rhys’ nature against him again, he wasn’t sure if he could ever gain his trust back.

They made so much progress in the last couple weeks. Rhys was nesting again, more than a usual pregnant Omega, but that was okay. He got up for meals willingly and he stopped pushing Atlas away when the kid sought him. It was getting better, but apparently too slow for the young man’s body.

“H-h-hot,” he whimpers. “Too hot.”

“A bath would help,” Jack suggests. “You can even climb in in your clothes.”

But Rhys just shakes his head. “I don’t wanna. Jack, I don’t want this! I don’t want to want this!”

“I know, baby,” he sighs and closes his eyes. “I would love you even if you weren’t an Omega. You would be a great Alpha with your determination, or a good Beta with your innocent soul and endless caring for Atlas. But you... You were born in the wrong body.”

He hears Rhys moving, and he keeps his eyes closed, hoping to give him space to do anything he wants. Preferably a bath, because the fever seemed serious from the red tone of his skin. There is silence again, and so Jack speaks. “I tried to help you. I... I think I believed I know what to do. I know how to fight my instincts; I can control myself... But I didn’t notice— Rhys, I’m so sorry.”

“It wasn’t your fault.” The Omega’s voice is hoarse and quiet. And close. Jack can feel his breath on his face. “You opened my eyes back on Pandora... and I’m happy that you did. Thanks to you, I-I'm not a slave. But... It hurts, Jack,” he suddenly whimpers. “I don’t want it. My mind doesn’t want to, but my body needs it. What do I do?”

“Bath, sweetheart,” Jack insists. “It will go away, but we have to cool you down.” He feels like if he raised his head by a few millimetres, their noses would touch, and it’s _tantalising_ , but he doesn’t want to scare Rhys away. And so, he waits.

Dry, hot lips touch his, and Jack answers immediately, tilting his head back, opening his mouth and _submitting._ Rhys takes control for a second, moves his tongue in the Alpha’s mouth, and then he pulls away. “Will you—” he asks, voice a little softer now. “Will you help me get up?”

Chuckling, Jack helps himself and then Rhys up from the nest. In the bathroom, Jack runs a bath for Rhys, helping the Omega to climb in carefully. For the first time in weeks he sees Rhys’ arm cradle his belly, but it might be just for support.

Rhys eventually relaxes, his temperature falls, and his dick softens after being hard for almost an hour. Jack stays by his side, making sure that the Omega has everything he needs. His chin is resting on the edge of the tub, and every time Rhys moves, he gets splashed a bit.

When the water turns cold, Jack helps Rhys get out of the bath and dry himself. They don’t return to the nest; instead, Rhys picks a few pillows of it and lays in bed. Grateful for the soft mattress, Jack doesn’t even comment on it and lays next to his mate.

* * *

Few hours later, it’s time to wake up, but not before a very surprising, very heated, and very careful morning sex. After that, Jack is covered in sweat and ready to sleep for eight more hours, because Rhys used all the dirty tricks against him.

“Whew!” he whistles, sprawling in the bed. “What did I do to deserve this?” He briefly thinks about wiping the leftover lube, slick and come off his body with a blanket, but he decides that that would just ruin the blanket and not help him at all. Shower. Right when his body starts working again.

“First of all, _I_ deserved it,” Rhys corrects him, stretching and standing up like nothing happened. The fact that he didn’t get knotted (and he is younger) is probably helping, because Jack is sure that Rhys shouldn’t be as active after two orgasms. “Join me in the shower?” he winks at him and disappears in the bathroom.

It’s not until the water is running that Jack forces his body to move. Joints pop in his back, and he allows himself to groan, because nobody can hear it. This Omega is going to ruin him.

Later as they eat breakfast, Rhys eats a whole bowl of fruit cut into tiny pieces, for once not feeling bad for eating before Atlas is done eating. Jack bought a very expensive crystal bowl for this, so he can make the breakfast his Omega likes even more fancy. To remind him of the good things connected to his endotype. He’s willing to do anything, every other day getting up early to cut up he fruits for his boyfriend and son.

Jack has another surprise for Rhys. It won’t probably have the desired effect for another few months because Rhys had his hair cut short when he came to Helios and again few months ago, but if he decides to let it grow long like he had on the asteroid, or even longer, he can use Jack’s gift.

“What is it?” The young man eyes the stone decorated wooden box with suspicion. His face morphs into awe when he opens it. “Jack…” He is at a loss for words, just staring at the contents of the box.

“What is it, daddy?” Atlas jumps behind him in excitement. He tries to climb on the table, then on the chair next to Rhys, and then Jack picks him up and brings him close so he can look. “Whoa!” the boy exclaims. “That’s like the feathers you put in my hair, dad!”

They are a little bit more expensive and exotic, but Jack will keep that fact to himself. There are feathers, beads, pins, chains of expensive materials, and much more hair decorations of rare materials Jack was able to get.

“Are… Are we going somewhere?” Rhys asks, still staring at the gift in awe.

“If we were going somewhere,” Jack smirks, “I’d get you a freakin’ crown. These are just for my sweet boys.”

“Can we put them in my hair, daddy?” Atlas reaches down, and Jack helps him reach the box to pick a fluffy purple feather. “Before papa takes me to the office! Please!”

Jack sees Rhys hesitate and he is about to save the situation, pull the boy’s attention to something different, but the Omega decides. “It will take longer. Why don’t you stay here with me, and then we can go visit your father with a guard?”

“Okay!” the boy chimes, wiggling out of Jack’s arms so he can sit next to Rhys. “Use the purple ones, please!” he outstretches his hand where the fluffy feather was, but he managed to crumble and break it in his excitement.

Both parents sense a change in the air immediately. Atlas sniffles, his mood droops. Again, Jack is about to help, but Rhys beats him to it. “There is plenty of the purple ones, Atlas, don’t worry,” he soothes him and carefully hugs him, balancing a little so his belly doesn’t stand in the way and he doesn’t fall from the chair. He scents the boy’s hair, cheeks, and, very gently, touches his neck with the tip of his nose. It helps the young Omega calm down, and he smiles again, leaning into the comforting touch.

Jack stays with them for another thirty minutes, making sure both Omegas are happy before he leaves. Especially Rhys. But the younger man doesn’t seem bothered by what he did. If anything, he looks more at peace than yesterday, if that makes sense. It was just a little familiar gesture, after all.

* * *

Jack has to accept many rules he doesn’t agree with. No touching the neck when the Omega is upset. No growling matches, ~~because Jack has no chance of winning anyway~~. He has to let Rhys decide when the right time for a doctor check-up is, and what the doctors can and cannot do to him. He has to let Rhys in on every decision concerning the family.

Rhys gets to choose what room will be turned into a nursery, Atlas picks the colours, and Jack is allowed to take care of details like a strategically placed rocking chair and more pillows and a little couch.

The only thing Rhys is expected to do as his due date nears is to let himself be pampered, and this time, he can’t fight against it. His body is heavy, aching, _big_ , and he is looking forward to popping the kids out and be finally able to sleep in his stomach again. _If_ he will be able to sleep at all.

Vaughn, the uncle and godfather, was ecstatic. As Rhys needed someone by his side every day, he took half shifts and spent a lot of time at the penthouse, taking care of both Omegas. Rhys was sure that they are just one step from moving Vaughn in. Even Jack treated him like his pack, now.

Thanks to PR, most of Helios, and probably half of the universe was excited about the Handsome Jack’s twins. (The only one not phased about it was Timothy who had to wear fake Omega scent on him when going to public and _look excited, man; look how excited I am!_ But even him couldn’t deny that he wants to see Jack as a father. More for the _covered in baby vomit_ part than the cute part, but still. A little excited.)

Then there was waiting. One day late. Two days…

On the third day past the due date Jack caught Rhys pleading to his belly to finally let the kids out. On the fourth day he was pleading too, because the Omega forced him to sleep on the couch for laughing. Vaughn stuck his tongue out at the Alpha while going to his own comfortable bed.

The fifth day didn’t come, because Rhys woke up with contractions shortly after midnight. Two trusted doctors were summoned to the penthouse and Vaughn took sleeping Atlas to his old apartment, so he is not disturbed by the chaos in the house.

After thirty-six hours of Rhys swearing that he won’t touch an Alpha ever again in his life, two babies were born. An Omega girl who Jack named Angel, and an Alpha boy who Rhys named Noah.

And everyone lived happily ever after.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Expect the epilogue this evening. ;P


	5. Chapter 5

“Handsome Jack, sir, it’s such a pleasure to meet you,” a middle-aged man with greying hair approached the CEO. Jack put on a fake smile while Rhys by his side didn’t even bother to do that. This whole party was boring, but he supposed it was a good move for the company’s PR. Handsome Jack’s twins celebrating their first birthday. Nobody cared that said twins were only present for five minutes and then Rhys left them with Vaughn at home. They just came here for free drinks and food, and an opportunity to lick the CEO’s ass.

“My name is Colonel Greenwidth. My company, Green Bean, is the leading coffee producing company on three Edens.” Rhys noted with a smirk that the man didn’t mention which Edens. “I came here to talk about your son, actually.”

That got both of the parents’ attention. Jack raised an amused eyebrow and Rhys smirked more openly. He knew pretty well that this can only go in one direction. “Please, speak up, pal!” Jack urged the man on. “Hope you didn’t fall asleep there, eh!” He knew that the reason for the man’s hesitance is the Omega’s presence.

Composing himself, the man smoothed his outdated waistcoat once and spoke. “You see, sir, I am a father too. The mother of my child was a beautiful Omega coming from a great family. She gave me one beautiful Alpha daughter, Jaden, who is sixteen now. She is beautiful, strong, born a leader. She will take over my company one day. I’m just looking for a pretty mate for her.”

“Get a matchmaker, then,” Jack suggests, not bothering to be nice anymore.

The man, Colonel, laughs it off and proceeds to take a photo out of his pocket. “I think that our children would match perfectly. An Alpha from a powerful family with an Omega from a powerful family… What do you think?” Confidently, he shoved the photo at Jack.

“Glad you asked,” the Alpha smirked. He made a step forward, looming over the other man as he said: “I think that there is a little difference between your family’s powerful and my family’s _powerful_. As for your proposal, you should ask the dad.” He steps back, watching as Rhys takes his position.

The Omega is about as high as the other man, but the look in his eyes makes the man crouch and try to back away. He stumbles into a table, and Rhys smiles. “Thank you very much for your disgusting proposal,” he says in a sweet voice that doesn’t match the fire in his eyes at all. “I’m afraid I have to bring shocking news to you. My son is not a merchandise to be traded between companies. Shocking, I know!

“If you ever think about my son like that again, I will make sure your puny little company burns to the ground. Now, you have five minutes to leave this station, or I activate the turrets. Thank you for your visit, leave the gifts by the exit.” He steps away and smiles again, pulling up the security controls on his palm comp.

The man stands frozen, gaping, eyes flicking between the daring Omega and the CEO that stood back the whole time. Does he expect the Alpha to step in? Jack laughs. “It’s four and half minutes to the shuttle bay if you run fast enough,” he points out. “Rhysie even set a timer. In your place, I’d run and pray. He _will_ do it; he always does.”

Not needing any more prompting, the man runs off, bumping into people on his way. Jack laughs, bends over and clutches his stomach. Rhys’ victory feels good only for a while, though. He seeks the Alpha’s embrace when he is done laughing.

“What’s up?” The older man buries his nose in the Omega’s hair, bumping into one of the bells here and making it chime. He does it again and again until the Omega giggles.

“I’m just thinking…”

“Well, that’s good; you are good at that,” Jack teases.

“Oh, stop it for five minutes, okay?” Rhys wiggles in the embrace and lightly elbows the Alpha. “I just… Atlas is eight, —”

“God, you are so good at math, baby!”

“Ass,” Rhys shakes his head. Sensing the remark coming, he puts a hand over his mate’s mouth. “Don’t say anything about my ass, or you aren’t getting any of it tonight!”

“But you look so good, babe!” Jack argues, gently nibbling at one finger until Rhys pulls the hand away. He gives him a contemplative once over. Rhys is wearing a light blue three-piece suit and a dark red dress shirt. He has colourful feathers in his hair and a flower drawn on his face. He looks stunning, exotic and _wild_. “Okay,” Jack nods. “I’m listening. An absolute saint. I can’t not have you tonight.”

Sighing, Rhys continues. “Atlas is eight, and they are already throwing sixteen year old Alphas at him. He still can’t even begin to argue when you raise your voice at him; he is not like me yet.” ~~Maybe he never will be. Maybe he will be a slave of his nature forever.~~ “And Angel, she will have the same problem. How can we protect them from the world? How will— Who will love them for who they are, and not for their bodies?”

“I don’t know,” Jack answers simply. “But I will make sure that whoever tries this is well aware what happens if they try to take advantage of my children. And so will Noah. Our little Omegas will never be alone, pumpkin,” he kisses Rhys on the forehead. “Even if I have to raise from grave to make sure of that.”

“I’m sure you would, you stubborn old Alpha,” Rhys chuckles, raising to the tips of his toes to press a kiss to the tip of Jack’s nose.

“My little Alpha-Omega,” the CEO hums. “Let’s disappear from this party, what’cha say?”

“Finally!” Rhys smiles as he pulls Jack to the nearest elevator.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story was so much fun to write! At no point did I have any idea what the hell is going on. :D I'm so sorry that I didn't tell you more about the sci-fi part, even though I had it all thought out; there just wasn't enough time. :(
> 
> Thank you all for the awesome comments I received, and for the support. I love you all! <3

**Author's Note:**

> Follow me on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/ElfWriting). :)


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